As She Sees It (The way)
by moonmilk
Summary: What is given can easily be taken away, even if it is your life Yōko Kurama. A story about a spirit in search for a new start and unexpectedly finding it in a broken person. This story is post manga and post anime. Rated M for mature content.
1. Baby Lovely Bloodflow

The sun was not yet taller than the trees that shaded the blue and green forest. Within the gaps of the thick trunks and shrubs, orange filtered through the lightly gliding dust balls in the atmosphere. A light tread of fog hovered over the small trail that wound in an infinite loop within the forest. The forest was populated with many forms of vegetation and animals but the air was still and quite beneath the over flooding smell of blood.

Kurama stumbled through a barrier of shrubs, his blood trailing behind him and forming organic shapes upon the fallen leaves and moist grass. He grabbed his shoulder, applying a weak amount of pressure before relieving it and falling to his knees. Blood was escaping from him in many places and there was little that he could do.

On his way home, he got caught up in a terrible battle between a gang of demons that he once had wronged in his past life. Although he defeated the demons he may not survive the aftermath of the onslaught. As meticulous and careful as he was, his tricks and last minute deciding factors to emerge successful were causing him too many wounds. The sacrifices he made to ensure the defeat of his opponents are costing him greatly. He could feel his life slowly leaving his body as he shriveled up onto the ground. The withering leaves crunched beneath him.

Kurama laid on his back and stared up into the sky. He could barely see the color through the shade of the leaves. Boundless shapes of light and shadow moved across his face in soft hues of blue, his eyes closing. A faint noise of bells, slowly approaching, reached his ears. His eyelids felt too heavy to hold them open. At a last attempt to stay awake he shook his head and squinted his eyes, willing himself awake.

He looked up into a masked face. The mask was pale and resembled that of a rabbit. Two dark and black holes settled on it's pale front and a hemp string wrapped around it's ears made them cross. The bearer remained invisible beneath the green and white layers of clothing that hung loosely around it's body.

The mask slowly tilted it's head to the side and watched as he was no longer able to keep his eyes open. It watched as he fluttered his eyes closed, unwillingly, and slumped against a rising root.

It watched as his breathing became shallow and his face grew pale.

It watched as the blood flooded out of him and it watched as his life began to seep out from his wounds like ghostly wisps.

The masked person leaned over him closely and examined his body. A serious wound across his shoulder and his chest was the main cause of his deteriorating body. It was also the cause of his blood pooling around him. The person rested Kurama's head on it's lap and brushed the hair out of his face. It stared down at him in amazement and wonder. Even with the blood leaving his face, it still looked clear beneath the shadows of the forest.

With two hands, flat together, the masked person pushed his life back into his open wounds. The blue floating lights, like beautiful ghostly bundled ribbons, slowly returned into his chest. The creature tilted it's mask up, revealing smooth pink lips over a pallet of olive skin, and leaned into his face. Cold hands cupped Kurama's face and held it up. Their lips barely touched as it fed it's vitality to him. Bright green waves of it's life streamed into him through his dry and parted lips. Kurama breathed it in like oxygen. In the final moments of the transfer, it passed a small red seed through the smokey waves into his mouth. The red seed entered and embedded itself within his body, deep down into the core of his existence. It pulsed inside of him. The mask dropped a hand on his chest and felt the transfer from ones body to the others. His chest began to rise and fall gently and his demon heart gave a confirmatory thump.

The sound of more bells began to jingle in the distance. It quickly realigned it's mask and began to drag Kurama away from the sound. It dragged him to the edge of the forest where the lights of a city can be seen. It's coal black eyes stared into the blurring lights of the metropolitan area, entranced by it's beautiful colors.

The person looked back over it's shoulder and stared at Kurama's still body. The only movement was the slow rise and fall of his chest. It began to cover his body in the fall of leaves, leaving only his face uncovered by the soft debris of the forest.

It crouched down besides his covered body and hesitantly reached out to him. It gently caressed his cheek then poked his eyelid before withdrawing it's hand quickly out of fear. It did this a few more times, like a child playing a silly game with their parent, before standing up to leave him to rest. It scaled the nearest tree and reclined on a large branch above his resting form. The mask watched over him for as long as it could before sleep claimed it's senses as well.

It dreamed and worried at the sounds of the fading bells. It could hear it's name being called by it's ghostly mother, awaiting it's return home.


	2. Naïve

The strong smell of roses and dried blood intruded on the masked creatures sleep. It sniffled and tried to breath the smell away but was startled at the pull on it's mask. It opened it's eyes and was greeted by bright green eyes.

Kurama withdrew his hand and stared cautiously at the wakening creature before him. He has been watching the creature sleep for some time and could have easily gotten away but his curiosity was over riding his logical senses. The last thing he remembered before loosing consciousness was the pale mask that is now before him. The pale mask that is probably responsible for saving his life.

They sat in the tree, staring at each other for a while when the sound of jingling bells began to circle around them. The masked creature desperately put a finger to his lips. He could read the fear through the mask.

More masked people appeared beneath them, the ringing of the bells echoing with each step they took. Fog surrounded their ghostly forms as their layered gowns flowed behind them. They wore similar masks to the one in the tree, all pale with dark coals for eyes, but subtle characteristics separated one from another. Their dark eyes briefly searched the area around them before continuing on with their search.

They waited for them to leave before descending the giant tree. He looked to his savior curiously but with the same amount of caution he would an enemy. It only stared back at him with emotionless eyes. "Was that your clan?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

It nodded.

"Are they looking for you?"

It shook it's head no.

"Me?"

It nodded again.

Kurama grazed his chin with his hand and looked out to the city beneath the forest. It was where his journey was to take him, to his home town. He was trying to visit his human family. He looked back at the silent mask before heading towards the city. It followed behind him like a ghost, floating at his heels.

"Are you following me?" he asked, not looking back. It said nothing but he knew that it only nodded it's head.

"Why?" he asked, turning around to face the pale mask.

It gently touched his chest with a thin finger and tapped it three times. Kurama didn't know what this meant but he accepted it's answer.

"I''m afraid you can't" he finally said.

It cocked it's head to the side to express it's puzzlement but the mask only showed an empty slate.

"I'm grateful for your help but I have personal matters to attend to. Please allow me to thank you another day."

Kurama was truly grateful, but was only concerned on keeping his family away from anything outside of the human world, and this person definitely fit into a category outside of that. The last thing he wanted was for it to follow him home and interrupt their peaceful lives. It was tough enough for him to manage a separate life as Shuichi Minamino, especially since his Demon form has completely merged with his Human form. He had no plan on conforming to the rules of the human world but he currently did have obligations and ties to it. His family was waiting for him, and he had a job at his step father's company. He couldn't step too much out of this norm, not until his family no longer needed him, whenever that may be. Humans are so dependent.

"Ai~" whispered the forest behind them. Ghostly forms began to appear at the rim of the forest. It was the group of masked people from earlier. Their gowns floated with the invisible breeze. They resembled a giant barrier of clouds that slowly advanced towards them.

"Ai~" they called out again, slowly approaching with trails of fog foaming behind them. Their voices were more raspy than before.

Ai rushed over to Kurama's side and pulled on his sleeve. She lifted the mask above her head and tossed it on the ground defiantly with the tarp that covered her head. It shattered into millions of pieces that immediately turned into dust that glittered away and scattered in the air. It whirled in her long black hair as she looked up at Kurama with pleading eyes. Her eyes were brown like the color of the earth, and shined brighter than Kurama ever knew was possible. Her olive complexion was clean and untouched by the pollution of the world.

"Please, take me with you." she begged desperately.

Kurama looked away from her to the oncoming group of, what he presumed to be, angry spirits or guardians of the forest. He wondered if what she said earlier was true, were they after him or her? The truth blurred but he felt that he would be in immediate danger regardless.

He pulled her closer to him and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He lifted her bridal style and ran towards the city.

The wind flew through them in waves. Kurama felt invincible. The amount of energy surging through him was elating. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this rejuvenated or powerful. He presumed the healing that she is capable of is of exceptional power and he was glad that he received it.

It didn't take long for him to get out of harms way, with the new amount of energy he had and his inhuman speed. They reached Meioh in a matter of minutes. Kurama intended on taking a train and a bus like a normal citizen but with his current state, that wasn't an option.

Kurama gently placed her on her feet, and she sighed. She brushed her hair out of her face.

"Thank you" she said breathlessly. Her heart was pounding quickly. Kurama could hear it thumping through her chest.

He straightened and looked himself over. His clothing was stained with giant blobs of dried blood that looked brown upon his red shirt and khaki pants. He couldn't visit his family looking like a bloody homeless man, more over even make it to their house without being stopped and questioned by authorities. He looked over at his new companion. Her attire wasn't appropriate for the modern world either. It was simply bunches and layers of wispy cloth that hung loosely on her body, not to mention she was bare foot. Kurama noticed the small bells wrapped around her ankles but decided not to ask, he only made a mental note of it.

He dug a hand into his pocket and a sigh of relief escaped his lips when he felt the leather against his fingertips. All of the items that Kurama carried with him were left behind when he got caught up in the battle. Luckily, he kept his wallet in his pocket. He pulled out a few bits of change and used it to make a phone call for help.

"Yes, I'm sorry for bothering you.. . " He was quite for a moment before continuing.

"Yes, at Meioh. A change of clothing for myself, and . . something to wear for a lady." Kurama stiffened.

"No, it's nothing like that. I will be waiting for you near the Meioh train station side street. Please, be discrete Yusuke." he sighed before hanging up the pay phone, slightly in disbelieve over his current situation.

They waited in a side street, hiding from the eyes of the public. In their silence, Kurama felt oddly close to her, even though he knew that they had no past together. The feeling came from within his stomach, it was warm. He could smell the earth from her skin. She smelled like jasmine and grass, it was very refreshing. Before he knew it, Yusuke was walking past their street, searching for his red headed friend.

"We're here." called Kurama in Yusuke's direction.

Yusuke smiled and jogged over to their location. His smile faded when he noticed the amount of blood that stained Kuramas outfit. He pointed an incriminating finger towards Ai.

"Did she do this to you?"

Ai pouted and looked over to Kurama who shook his head.

"No, actually she saved me."

"Oh~" nodded Yusuke. He lifted a brow and looked at her from the corner of his eye before removing his backpack and handing Kurama a change of clothing.

Yusuke blushed and scratched the back of his head. "This is all that Keiko would let me borrow. I hope it fits." He pulled out a light blue summer dress. It was simple with a light trim of lace at the end of the knee length dress.

"It will have to do" said Kurama as he handed the dress to Ai, along with a pair of white flats.

They changed in a nearby public bathroom and regrouped outside of the Meioh train station. It wasn't crowded for a weekday but then again, it was also early in the afternoon. People were generally already at work or in class.

Ai spun around gleefully in her new dress. It swirled around her legs before settling down against her skin. She liked the feel of the fabric and recreated the motions of the falling lace several times.

Yusuke looked at her from the side with a raised brow. He wondered about her mental state. "So what's your name?" asked Yusuke, squinting his eyes at the girl. Her black hair tumbled over in waves around her shoulders and covered a majority of the open back that the dress had.

"Ai" she said with a smile, she stood close to Kurama.

"Okay, well it was nice meeting you Ai but we have to go. You can keep the dress and shoes" said Yusuke in a hurry. He looked to Kurama and motioned with his head to leave.

Ai stood in their way with a hand out.

"No. He has my bead. If he goes, I go too."

Kurama and Yusuke looked at each other then turned their attention back to her, ready to fight.

"Sorry honey, but that's not an option" retorted Yusuke. Kurama stepped forward and gave Yusuke a reassuring glance.

"You saved me, and I helped you escape. Our transactions are completed. I have no further obligation to you. There is no need for further interaction. Allow us to leave." Kurama tried to reason with her, but her face only grew pale and her eyes darkened. She looked insulted.

"Then return my bead." she said threateningly. She didn't get everything she wanted from saving his life, but getting out of that forest was enough for her to start the new life she wanted. She really hoped that he was the one to help her but she only felt foolish now.

Yusuke nudged Kurama in the side. "Give her this bead she is talking about so we can leave. Your family is waiting."

Kurama shook his head, "I don't know what she is talking about."

She pointed to his chest. "You really do have it!" Her feelings were hurt. She didn't want to be so quickly left to her own devices in an unfamiliar world.

He touched his chest and felt nothing. "I think you are mistaken."

She bit her bottom lip and curled her fists into tights balls at her sides, parts of her dress pinched between her fingers. Even if it took a million years, she would get her bead back. She felt ashamed for being so naïve and believed that this was her chance. A moment of regret washed over her but it quickly subsided and rose up as revenge. They underestimated her, but she would prove them wrong. She will get what she wanted, even if it meant taking a step back and resulting to her old methods that she was desperately trying to escape. Words of her friend repeated in her head making her vision go red.

"Whatever, let's just go. What is she going to do, kill us?" Yusuke laughed and walked passed Ai's stiff form. She furrowed her brow at him and watched as Kurama tucked a hand in his pocket and walked along side Yusuke to avoid any further confrontation. Kurama looked back but she was already gone as they boarded the nearby bus. His face twisted with concern as his hand rested against his chest, a finger scratching thoughtfully against his shirt. Kurama didn't like leaving with sour feelings in the air but he was confident that he would catch her before she would him. And with his friends by his side, she was surely no match for them. She gave off so little energy that he could defeat her in his most weakest state and even that would be over kill. Even knowing this, his heart couldn't settle down. He could feel her presence all around him and yet she was nowhere to be seen.


	3. Back to Square One

The beautiful summer day was bright and airy. There was a nice breeze that picked up leaves to dance with on the streets under the high sun. The sound of cicadas chirping cracked in the air from the tall trees. It was a perfect day but Kurama sat by himself. He sat outside beneath an umbrella shaded table at a local cafe and enjoyed a cup of coffee as he read a novel that he has been meaning to finish for a while. The days have been so quick since he returned that he hasn't had much time to himself. It was beginning to become difficult to say no to his friends.

It's been a little over a week since the events that took place in the forest and the train station. He visited his family like he had planned and was ready to continue training for the second Makai Tournament. He has been feeling exceptionally energetic since his some what recent encounter with death and was beginning to become skeptical of the effects of the heal that he received. When he further thought on it, he realized that he didn't know much about what that girl was. He didn't quite know if she was a spirit, a demon, or just a guardian from the forest.

He shook his head and suppressed the curiosity rising within him. The last thing he needed to do was go on a random journey for discovery in the forest where almost died.

He smiled to himself at the ridiculous thought and took a sip from his warm coffee.

"Hey Kurama!" shouted Yusuke.

He looked up and greeted his friends.

"What's up bro?!" Kuwabara smiled cheekily and patted Kurama on the shoulder. Kurama wished he wouldn't do that.

They joined him at the round table.

" You two look exceptionally excited today" commented Kurama as he closed his book and set it down near his cup.

"Hell Yeah we are!" said Yusuke enthusiastically as he looked over at a giggling Kuwabara.

Kurama lifted a brow curiously. "May I ask.. why?" he asked hesitantly, a little afraid of their answer. He really only wanted to relax and not go on a crazy spur of the moment event that they have been throwing at him as of late.

"Well~ This new club opened up and-"

Kurama shook his head and interrupted Yusuke before he could finish his proposal "No."

Their faces melted down to the floor in disappointment.

"What!? But why not!?" Kuwabara slammed a hand down on the round table. Kurama's cup jiggled slightly off balance.

"Do you not remember the last time?" interjected Kurama, his eyes squinted at the reel of memories that played in his head.

Yusuke reared in his seat and grinned unpleasantly as he recalled the unfortunate events that took place the last time he invited Kurama to one of their "extravagant" nights out.

"Hey, all the more reason to make up for it!" cheered Kuwabara.

Yusuke shook his head "Nah, man. That was pretty bad.."

They sat in silence for a while before Yusuke perked back up, determined to convince Kurama.

"Well, how about we do something else, like just a few drinks at the bar?"

Kurama closed his eyes thoughtfully and sighed defeated. "The more I reject you, the more you come at me. I will attend but under the condition that I may leave when I desire to."

Kuwabara and Yusuke slapped their hands together and pounded their fists to celebrate their _great_ negotiating skills.

"Alright! We'll regroup around nine or something. I'll give you a call. Let's go Kuwabara." said Yusuke with a giant grin on his face.

"Let the crazies out!" shouted Kuwabara with his arms out above his head like a mad man.

Yusuke smacked him in the gut. "Why you say that for?"

"Because of the moon, duh~ isn't it a common saying that the crazy people come out during full moons?"

"What the f- No! You idiot!"

Kurama could hear their conversation fade away from him as he took a sip of his coffee and grimaced. It suddenly didn't taste the same.

Party time quickly rounded the corner and Kurama found himself actually excited to enjoy the night out with his friends. It has been a while and it felt nice to do something not so "family orientated". The night was beautiful and was made for people to be out and about under the light of the moon. He felt inspired by just looking at it.

He looked at himself in the mirror and was satisfied with his reflection staring back at him. He dressed casually but still managed to look rather sophisticated in his slim fitting pants and V-neck short sleeved shirt.

Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama took a cab to a populated area down town. The artificial lights flashed over lines of scantly dressed women and men who, oddly enough, wore sunglasses at night. The people stood loudly waiting in line to enter the club.

Kurama was glad that he wasn't in that line tonight. He simply wasn't in a mood to be handling anyone or anything other than his own liquor. They entered a bar called "PROOF" and found a few empty stools near the inner island that presented the main wide screen televisions. The lighting was dim and the sounds of the games that played on the television over powered everything in the small building.

Their bartender slid her way over to them and leaned forward. Her hair was separated and tied into two pig tails where her hair curled at the tips. Her makeup was flawlessly applied but her lips were thin.

"What can I get you boys tonight?" she said loudly over the noise from the televisions. Her lips smacked up and down as she chewed a piece of gum between her square teeth.

Yusuke grinned and looked over to Kuwabara. They both lifted their brows and scooted closer in with their stools. Kurama only smiled to himself.

"Two screw drivers" said Yusuke excitedly.

"Oh, thanks man!" said Kuwabara, his eyes glistening with happiness at Yusuke's order.

Yusuke leaned away from Kuwabara and smacked him. "Those two are for me, I don't know what you're ordering" he laughed.

"Man, whatever! One Bulleit Neat!"

The woman made mental notes then nodded towards Kurama.

"And you, handsome?"

Kurama folded his hands under his chin "One Salty Dog, please." answered Kurama.

"On it!" said the girl as she began to mix their drinks.

Their drinks came quickly and they were just as quick to order more. The hour passed with multiple screw drivers, two more Salty Dogs,a wave of Blue MoFos, and a few special orders for the boys - compliments from table four.

They garnished the drinks with a few solid beers in between as well.

Kuwabara began to slur his words and Yusuke laughed at how easy it was for Kuwabara to become drunk. Drinking isn't a common pass time for any of them but Yusuke and Kurama could take quite a few hits before feeling any of the effects of the alcohol. Yusuke realized his resistance to alcohol increased significantly since he became a demon.

Kurama and Yusuke snickered between one another at Kuwabara as he tried to explain a very awkward situation that he was in one night with Yukina but couldn't quite describe it the way that it was remembered in his head.

A familiar ringing noise chimed in Kurama's ear beneath the laughter and televisions. He tensed up and looked around the bar from his stool.

Groups of people sat at booths, ordering wings and other delicious snacks to enjoy their night. Other people sat quietly with beers in their hand as they stared entranced by their favorite team playing on the television. Loud bursts of cheering or complains would occasionally erupt when a play went bad. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary and most importantly he didn't see Ai. All of the girls in the bar were either accompanied by a man or were grouped together.

He sighed but stayed and enjoyed a few more drinks with his friends before taking advantage of the condition that they promised to obey earlier. He said his goodbyes and got the bartenders phone number as he left the bar and headed home.

Kurama exited the cab after paying the small fare then walked with his hands stuffed in his pockets and enjoyed the stroll beneath the full moon. There was a small breeze that carried over from the morning but the light from the moon warmed his skin. He turned into an alley that he has familiarized himself throughout the years of his time in the city. It was an easy way to get home and generally empty with the exception of a few stray animals that found their way lost between the brick walls.

Tonight, however, Kurama found something much more than a stray animal that night. Something similar, but not quite a cat or a dog.

He looked straight ahead and stared at the person before him. The heeled boots and tight skin pants made it obvious that it was a woman, but the position of the moon made the shadow fall upon her face.

He could smell the familiar jasmine and earthy perfume from the figure but was surprised at the significant change of her appearance.

She took a step closer to him and he took a defensive step back. He was almost intimidated by the faceless person until she stepped even further into the light. Her soft features seemed to glow like the clouds that huddled around the moon. Ai wore dark makeup around her eyes, it reminded him of the mask that she wore the first time they met.

She looked different beneath the moonlight, almost dangerous with her long hair bending with the breeze.

"Ai.." Kurama whispered her name, his head suddenly becoming dizzy.

She frowned "Give me back my bead".

She bit her bottom lip and approached Kurama fearlessly.

Her quick foot steps echoed down the alley in sharp clacking noises followed by the faint sound of the bells around her ankle. She cupped his face, once again, and ran a thumb gently across his cheek then pressed her lips against his. They closed their eyes.

Kurama unwillingly gasped his lips apart as she absorbed what rightfully belonged to her. A stream of green light chained from his mouth into hers and delivered her vitality back into her body. She could feel her power returning and was eager for more. She continued to breath in the mixture awaiting the small red seed that was settled within him.

The bright light reflected around them off the dull brick walls. They were surrounded in a demon made aurora lights that washed over them.

Kurama felt like he was floating. It was a blissful feeling but as time slowly passed he began to feel emptier and emptier and he began to float higher and higher. His body was weightless in his mind and he struggled to stay on the ground.

She could feel his lips growing cold against hers when the small red seed finally emerged from his body. It entered Ai's mouth and settled it's way within her.

Kurama slipped from her hands like sand and collapsed to the ground. His body limp at her feet.


	4. A Third Chance?

**Author's Note**:

Hello, and thank you for joining me today. I wrote this chapter to kinda fill in the plot without having it be so scattered throughout the story. That way I can develop issues that I have planned in later chapters. On the next chapter, I will write a small over view for everything that happened in this chapter (I.e what Ai is and everything that transpired between her and Kurama). I made this chapter pretty cut throat though so I hope I don't get too many questions or concerns regarding it.

Thanks!

* * *

She stared down at his dying form. He was going to die, and that was it. Without her energy he was doomed like the day he stumbled into the forest. This time, he wasn't bleeding profusely but she could only imagine that he felt much worse. He had a week to heal, but with the immense amount of life that Kurama harbored, it wasn't enough to even help him stand.

She began to walk away but hesitated. She turned back around and watched him desperately gasping for air. Ai mentally slapped herself and pouted while stomping her foot in a small tantrum. Her emotions were not being fair.

She knelt down and laid him on his back. She poked his cheek and he groaned in response.

"You're much stronger than me. It's going to take a long time for you to heal Kurama." she said, hoping that he could hear her.

She leaned near his ear, "Do you want to live?" she whispered and pulled away to see his response. It was something that she should have asked to begin with, but only assumed the first time. However, she will not make the same mistake twice.

Kurama forced his eyes open and stared up at her like he did the first time. His eyes glossing over. For the small amount of time that he possessed the seed, he was only able to heal enough to remain conscious without it, for now. Soon, his wounds will rip themselves through his skin and make pathways for his blood to flow.

"Yes" he choked back his pride. His family wasn't ready yet for him to leave. He wasn't ready.

He felt like his insides were falling apart and he had no more blood to bleed. It was excruciating. He almost preferred going through the motions of being beaten to a pulp. At least it could give his body time to become numb to the pain.

She caressed his cheek and brushed pieces of hair out of his face.

Kurama did take her away from the forest, and it was just of equal value of her saving his life but she felt responsible for his death. Her senses made her trust in Kurama once more. Perhaps, he is the one who will help her obtain the freedom that she yearns for. She made a decision. He possessed exceptional amount of power and ,without her own, she needed someone capable of protecting her.

"You can borrow my bead again until you are fully healed but I will have to stay close to watch over it. It's very precious to me." she said as she leaned down once again and kissed Kurama. She returned everything that she took and more, a small way for her to apologize without actually apologizing.

Kurama opened his eyes and slowly sat up. He felt perfectly normal. Out of all the years that he has been a live, he has never encountered someone as strange as her. A part of him understood, but everything else was just as foggy as the forest that she crawled out of.

"Welcome back" she said, with a smile on her face.

Kurama shot sharp eyes at her. "Thank You." he said, slightly sarcastically.

She furrowed her brow as she stared at him. "I'm sorry, I got impatient with you."

He ignored her apology. "How long do I need your _bead_ in order to heal a sufficient amount of energy to heal on my own?"

Her lip pouted and she looked away thoughtfully. She started to count on her fingers. "Ah! One Hundred and Ten Days."

"Approximately three months, then."

"Let's say four to be safe!" She clapped her hands gleefully.

"And as I understand, there are _conditions_ that come with this."

She nodded and smiled eagerly, he was understanding and it made her excited. "I need to be near it, I don't want you skipping over to the next town without my knowledge. And absolutely none of this!" She pulled out the waitresses phone number from her back pocket.

Kurama's eyes widened slightly. He didn't even realize that she took something from him. She was clever.

She crumpled the piece of paper then chucked it over his head before looking at him seriously. "It can't get hurt."

He had no intention on perusing the bartender that served him tonight, but understood why she would think that. He chuckled at the ludicrous situation that he found himself in once again. Since when was he ever enamored with another person so much that he was limited to the amount of women that threw themselves at him. Only once, but he shook his head.

He stood up and dusted himself off with blackened hands.

She stood up after him and copied his movements. He patted his pants, she patted her pants. He dusted his hands, she dusted her hands. Her stomach grumbled.

Kurama looked at her and she made a face. He smiled, awkwardly. She made him uncomfortable.

"Do you have somewhere to stay?" he asked suddenly.

She nodded and stepped closer to him. "Yes, with you!"

He sighed, he had a feeling that she was going to say that. He shook his head.

"Well, I would prefer for you to live elsewhere. Do I have any other choice?"

She shook her head and smiled.

They walked in silence to his apartment. Kurama dreaded every step that took them closer to his door step. He tried to come up with explanations to give to his friends tomorrow. Telling his family that a woman was now living with him wasn't even a consideration.

He held the door open for her and she waltzed in, her eyes beaming with excitement. She looked at everything in wonderment and asked a few questions about the items that he possessed.

Exhaustion pushed Kurama to his sofa where he laid down with his arm covering his eyes. He answered her questions in short sentences, trying to be as direct as possible.

"Oh~ho~ho. I know what this is!" she chimed like a bird and smelled the single rose that sat in an ivory vase on his coffee table. He peeked at her from beneath his arm.

She smelled it with eyes closed. She fingered the tips of the petals then ate the slightly open bud. The stem stuck out between her lips.

Kurama covered his eyes once again and faced his back to her. He sighed with aggravation. He tried to gain control over his emotions.

The weight of her body pressed against his suddenly as she wrapped her arms from behind him. She rested her cheek against his back.

"Don't be sad." she said into his back, slightly muffled. He could feel an enormous amount of warmth crawl it's way from his back to the rest of his body. Time seemed to stop for a moment, for a small perfect moment.

He immediately sat up and pulled away.

"What are you doing?!"

She sat up with him and looked confused. "I just don't want you to be upset, it's not good for _us_." She pressed her hand against his chest.

He gently removed her hand from his chest and sat at the other end of the sofa.

"What are you planning?" his question was more of a statement and a harsh demand for her answer.

She pushed her hair back. "Japan is so small, and so closed off."

"You're not from here."

She shook her head and sighed reminiscing her home land. "China." she said and smiled cheekily.

"And you're not a demon. I know that much." He turned to her to give his undivided attention.

"Bingo!" she said cheerfully. She only learned that word a few days ago and was inclined on using it whenever she thought it was appropriate. "I'm a . . " she thought for a moment trying to find the right word to describe herself. She spoke without an accent but was still unfamiliar with a large set of Japanese vocabulary.

"-a ghost!"

Kurama squinted his eyes at her not completely agreeing. His understanding of ghosts was completely different.

She could see his skepticism in his face and smiled with a finger pointing to her sharp canines.

"I steal the souls of men and deliver them to -" she stopped herself before continuing "to the mistress." Her cheek churned against her shoulder uncomfortably but then she smiled. "It was what I was initially going to do to you. I was going to suck out your soul~" she clawed at him like a cat then giggled.

Kurama sat still, he wasn't amused by her playful attitude during a serious conversation, though he thought it was cute – cute but immature.

"Why didn't you, then?" he crossed his arms and examined her, looking for any sign of doubt that would lead him to disbelieve her words.

She pulled her legs up against her chest and her toes danced against the fabric of the furniture. "I don't like what I do, you know." She looked over at him with her head resting on her knees. "I've taken the life from many men before, but not once have I ever given life to them. You're different though. Something inside of me just told me to save you, that you'll be the one to help me." she sighed hopelessly.

Kurama began to sympathize with her. He understood the struggle that she was facing a little too well.

"I mean- You're a demon living in a modern world. You know so much and the things you have are so wonderful!" she excitedly scooted closer to him. "I want to visit the Makai and see so many more places. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore." She grabbed his hands and held them tightly between hers.

"I wont eat your soul, I promise. Just, allow your body to heal and in return teach me how to act like a human."

He withdrew his hands from her. "I don't have much of a choice."

A loud knock came from his door.

"Hey Kurama! You okay? Open the door! We bought pizza!" Yusuke screamed through the wood as loud as he could and laughed. Kurama could hear Kuwabara laughing too, then gasping for air.

Their heads turned to the door and Kurama anxiously stood up.


	5. Pizza Night

Author's Note:

For anyone who didn't understand what happened, here is a quick mixdown of the past chapters.

Ai is a character inspired by the Chinese interpretation ( A Chinese Ghost Story) of ghosts. She is somewhat of an agent for a Demoness that feasts off of souls. Ai steals the souls then delivers them to the Demoness who devours them .

Ai finally had enough of this and decided to run away and found her chance in Kurama.

This is where things get a little stringy. I also created Ai with the idea of the Korean folklore Gumiho. I thought that the Chinese interpretation (from A Chinese Ghost Story) meshed well with the folklore of the Korean one (Instead of souls the Gumiho supposedly eats the livers of men. Their source of power can be transferable via a 'bead').

This is how Ai saved Kurama's life. By transferring some of her energy into Kurama and giving him the source of her power (the bead, which is technically just a "crystal" within her that keeps her immortal and gives her her power) He is able to live normally while it heals him from the inside out.

Because Kurama is obviously much stronger than her, it is going to take a while for her energy to heal him. Until then, he will slowly begin to regain his own strength while her energy is supporting him (think of it as roll over minutes?).

Anyway, so now here they are stuck together until he is capable of taking care of himself without the help of her power.

I guess there is also a "Little Mermaid" thing going on here because she is unfamiliar with this "new world" :3

Take care, and enjoy. Once again, thanks for reading.

* * *

He wasn't allotted enough time to come up with a proper explanation for his current state and he wasn't quite sure how they would handle the truth but it was slowly trickling down to his final and most definite option. He looked over at the clock. It was nearing midnight and Kurama couldn't be seen with Ai just yet. He would tell them tomorrow when he has come up with a proper way of distributing the facts about the current situation that he's in.

Kurama opened the door, very slightly, just enough to see his friends through a crack in the door.

"I'm afraid I am unavailable for company right now." he whispered with an eye peeking into the outside.

Yusuke pressed his face as close to Kurama's as he could and tried to look inside.

"Why, you got a full house already?!"

Kuwabara snickered behind Yusuke "That bartender did leave before us Yusuke, maybe she's in there with Kurama" he giggled like a school girl.

Kurama sighed and rolled his eyes slightly at the comment, ready to close the door on them but contained himself.

"Listen, I will inform you tomorrow."

"On all the juicy details?! Ha~ Kurama you sick freak! Just do your dirty thing!" Yusuke and Kuwabara burst into laughter and almost pushed the door further open with their hysterics.

"Okay, okay, I'll leave a box of pizza for you, anyway. Because I know I'm always hungry after-"

Kurama held a hand up to stop him and simply nodded his head. "Yes, okay. Now, goodnight."

Kuwabara sloppily slipped a large carton box through the small amount of space that Kurama allowed them to have to make the ridiculous transaction. He accepted the pizza then quickly shut the door on his friends. He could hear them laughing and making strange accusations on their way home.

He rubbed his temples briefly before returning to sit with Ai in the living room.

He placed the pizza box on the table then put a hand on his hip and stared down at the girl in his apartment. She leaned forward and smelled the cardboard.

"What is this?" she asked. "It smells … interesting."

"What would happen if you died?"

She looked up at him and pressed a finger to her bottom lip. It dented inwards and became pale. "I don't know. I guess I would just die and you would keep my bead forever." she was nonchalant in her answer but honest about her ignorance. Kurama took a step towards her. "But I know you wont." she said confidently, looking away from the foreign food to Kurama. "I know you wont, that's why I chose you. I know you'll take care of me."

Kurama sighed, and took a seat besides her with his hands resting on his knee. She was right. As easy as it would be to just kill her and keep what she has given him, it would break the moral that he has gained living as Shuichi. Even with his Demon form completely infused and merged with his Human form, Kurama was unable to apply all of his ethics as Youko Kurama to his modern lifestyle.

"What is this?" she asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

"It's called pizza. It's a dish from Italian origin. It's a simple dough baked at the bottom of tomato sauces, cheese, and other ingredients dressed on top. Try some." He opened the top and steam entered the room. If sifted it's way between them and made Ai's skin heat. Kurama handed her one of the smaller slices that were pre-cut in the box.

She sniffed it before taking a small nibble at the tip. An explosion of flavors spread across her tongue and through her mouth. It was nothing like she has ever tasted before. It was tart but had a hint of sweetness and it was smooth in her mouth but chewy at the same time. She took a bigger bite and was stimulated by the taste of the pepperoni which was salty and grainy. It was no matter of time for her to begin working on her second, third, then fourth piece.

Kurama enjoyed a few pieces to himself as well but was astonished at how much the girl could eat. He watched her eat the pizza from several directions. There were bite marks starting from the crust of the pizza, the side, and at the tip until it was bitten into a strange and unrecognizable shape.

"I'm glad you like it" he said catching his smile and wiping his mouth with a napkin.

She nodded and smiled back, thoroughly enjoying the new food.

It was an oddly comfortable and casual moment for the two. Only a few hours ago she had her lips against his and stole the life right out of him. Of course, she did return it but it was no minimal transaction that there wouldn't be an awkwardness that separated them from interacting with each other. Instead, her forwardness was refreshingly new. Her personality is so exuberant, it should be an easy three months of recovery, thought Kurama.

They slept in separate rooms that night. Kurama had prepared a small futon for her in his study. His apartment was meant for only one person – himself. The fact that he even had a spare futon was only out of courtesy ,of the possibility, that there will ever be an expected guest. He considered lending his bed to her but decided against it. She was too curious and prone to touching things for further examination of objects. He didn't want to risk anything breaking because of her _curiosity. _Plus, his room, aside from the bathroom, was the only room with an efficient lock on the door. As comfortable as he has become with his new companion, he wasn't that comfortable to give her that much privacy in his own home. His mother would scold him for not acting as a gentleman, but he shrugged it off. Ai probably didn't even know what one was. It gave him a pass.

Ai felt at home wrapped up in her small futon. It was comfortable, like her favorite moss tree that she used to sleep in. It didn't quite smell the same but she almost preferred this new smell. She assumed Kurama slept in it before because of the subtle lingering smell of roses that she could normally smell in his hair. Her finger traced the stitches on the mat. Her body settled nicely into the cotton as she sighed contently into her pillow. It fitted around the shape of her head and tucked around her.

Her eyes were beginning to close when her window fogged and the sound of bells ringed against the glass.

She sat up and looked at the window that hovered above the mahogany desk. She squinted her eyes and watched as the air made the fog thin into a mist that slowly started to dissipate from the heat of the room. It pulled into itself until it created an outline of a face that was once pressed against the window.

Her heart dropped into her stomach. Ai covered her mouth with her hands, protecting the silence from an otherwise loud gasp. She quickly slipped further beneath the blanket and tried to calm her breathing. Her eyes darted around in the dark but found nothing out of the ordinary. The air was stiff.

She hesitantly forced her eyes back to the window and watched until the face print was gone. Only small remnants of the forehead remained but Ai still shivered. With trembling fingers, she scratched between the band around her ankle and her skin. She fingered the contours of the bells that rumbled within their containers and chewed her bottom lip. The last time she has ever talked to anyone from the forest was the day before she left. She knew that it was only a matter of time for them to come for her. The mistress was expecting a soul and Ai was to deliver it.

Ai shook her head in denial and stared at the ceiling. Her heart slowly worked it's way back up into her chest. It was painful and made her throat ache.

Worry and uncomfortable thoughts fended sleep away from her that night.


	6. Trust Her

In the one week that Ai was left to her devices, she made a friendly connection with an odd woman who lived a few doors down from Kurama's own apartment. With no where to go and no money for food, Ai lurked outside of Kurama's home before being discovered by Juri, who was emptying out her garbage at the time. Juri was a woman of the occult and believed that Ai was not a homeless girl _spying_ on her neighbor but instead, a beautiful _fairy_ of the night that needed assistance and guidance in the world of man. Ai had no complaints and accepted the hospitality that Juri was so quick and eager to offer her and soon found herself confusing the woman's own personal style and beliefs into the modern day norm, which was actually quite the opposite. She claimed that the dress she wore was that of a silly house wife and that she needed to experience the world from a darker perspective to see the light. Ai didn't understand anything she said and only nodded her head and went along with the lecture.

They sat outside on the balcony and enjoyed a cup of tea with a side of pizza. Ai mentioned to Juri how much she really enjoyed the new dish and she ordered a small one for them to munch on, even with how ridiculously early it was. Ai's bizarre requests made Juri further believe that her assumption about her was true. It brought an enormous amount of new light into her dark life.

Juri's face was pale and bright against the soft light of the sun that flushed over them. Her eyebrows were thin from over plucking and there were holes, without jewelry, that lightly showed on her face. Ai almost didn't recognize Juri, this morning, without her makeup. Her eyebrows were compensated with eye shadow and her eyes were dark with exaggerated eyeliner the first time she met her.

"I have class soon." said Juri with a piece of pizza shoved to one corner of her mouth.

Ai looked at her and pouted. "Can I go with you?"

Juri shook her head. "No, but you can stay until I'm ready to leave. I'll also check up on how I can get you enrolled." She downed her tea quickly while glancing at the time and wiping her mouth with the end of her shirt. She belched and Ai laughed. She tried to force a burp too but only felt the stickiness from her stomach rise into her throat. She covered her mouth.

Ai sat on Juri's bed and watched her go through her morning routine while nosing around at the interesting things that she had lying around. Ai took interest in a bottle of glitter that Juri had sitting on her makeup desk, a broken watch, and a few of the action figures that sat above a shelf collecting dust.

"Should I wear this, or this?" asked Juri holding up two different shirts. They were both black, but one had a strange graphic image that Ai couldn't quite figure out what it was and the other had a small floral print around the side. The decision was menial and Ai only pointed randomly at the first shirt.

"You should probably wear something different too, Ai. I gave you that outfit a few days ago." she said with a hand on her hip. She brushed back her hair and began to insert her facial piercings. She looked at Ai through her vanity mirror. "Choose something from the box over there. It's clothing, I was going to donate it because they are too small for me but they might fit you. Or maybe you can just have the whole box." She squinted one eye as she pushed the needle point through her eyebrow.

Ai looked down at her clothing and noticed a few red smears on the front of her shirt and pants from the pizza. She immediately explored the box and was uninterested at the selection until she reached the very bottom where a dark navy blue dress laid flattened by the weight of the other clothes. She unfolded the dress and smoothed her hand across the cotton fabric.

The sleeves were cropped and there was a single white bow on the chest. Ai lifted it up and showed Juri who looked at it through the reflection in her mirror before turning around to look at her. Only half of her face was completed but she was slowly becoming the Juri that Ai recognized.

"You like that? That wont match with the shoes I gave you." Half of her face as expressionless.

"It's okay. I can wear the other ones that Yusuke gave me." She took off the heeled boots then plopped them into the donation box and fished out the white flats that were squished inside the corner of the cardboard and put them on instead.

"Well, you look ready for summer, I guess." Juri turned back to her mirror and finished applying her makeup and gathering her supplies for class.

Ai walked Juri to her university and Juri said her goodbyes. She wont leave campus until later that evening and she was pretty sure that she wasn't going to see Ai until much later. The sudden appearance of Ai made Juri eager to leave school everyday, anticipating the next time she would see her. She was never sure when the next visitation would be but she was always glad when Ai did drop by, even if it was for small walks and pizza in the morning. It was obvious to her that Ai wasn't human and having her for a secret was the best thing that could have ever happened to her. She secretly wished to meet more people like her but decided to keep that to herself, for now.

The air smelled crisp against the tip of her nose as she strolled down the side walk in her new dress. She liked the way the sheer layers beneath the cotton felt against the sides of her thighs that the light breeze provided. Her shoulders felt a little hot beneath the sun but found relief in the continuous amount of shade from the hovering sakura trees.

Ai ran her hand against the shrubs that stuck out from the wired fence that separated the public from the cemetery. Her fingers rustled against the green leaves, sometimes getting pricked by leafless branches but she didn't mind. They felt rough against her fingers as she traced along the edges of the wired barriers. She closed her eyes and stimmed from the repetitive scratching against her finger tips and was surprised to feel something smooth. She pulled her hand away and rubbed her fingers together. A white powder smeared against them.

Ai looked up at the shrubs and gasped. Several masked faces were peering up at her from the green stems.

"Ai~" they whispered with closed mouths.

She took a step back to stop her knees from bending together.

Their necks cracked with ever jerky movement made to keep watch on the girl.

"How-"

"Mistress" said one, then the other echoing from each other. "Deliver the soul" continued one.

"Deliver it."

"Deliver it."

Their whispers were becoming louder with each repeat.

"It must be a really good one if you're taking this long" said a familiar voice behind her.

Ai turned around and was welcomed by a rough shove that pushed her against the shrubs with the crackling heads. Their heads chimed down the street like bells rustling in the wind.

She grabbed her chest and tried to collect the air that she lost from the sudden attack and angrily smacked a white head out of it's bush for giggling at her pain. The head rolled onto the side walk and disintegrated at the end of it's journey.

"Oh, this is no good. You're weak. Did you loose your bead?" said another, jumping from the tree above their heads.

"None of your business, Lema!" said Ai defensively. She stood straight and brushed her shoulders off.

Three girls stood around Ai. Their gowns were sheer and hovered around them like layers of fog around their feet. They stood much taller than her and wore their hair with ties and other floral decorations.

Lema fanned herself with her hand and rolled her eyes dramatically. "Actually, it is. The Mistress is getting impatient and she's taking her anger out on all of us. Just hurry up and come back with that demon's soul. We don't have time for your childish games." She walked over to help Ai heal but was rejected.

Lema was, to say the least, a hard-ass. Her aggression was always easily displaced upon someone else and she followed protocol with no exceptions. Despite her tough and sarcastic personality, she was commonly found with Lina, who was the least mature out of all of them.

Caddy by nature, this wasn't the first time Ai has been ganged up on by her crew mates. The four of them were considered an elite group among the _"agents"_ that worked for The Mistress. Their success rate and delivery count was significantly higher than any of the other teams. The constant competition within the group was partially responsible for what made them such an _effective_ team.

Ai lifted her hand to secure distance between them "Just stay away from me, all of you. I'll bring her the soul. I promise, I just-"

"Need more time?" Alma laughed behind her hand then quickly recovered. "Shall we make it a race then? He looked really delicious~I bet his soul tastes so sweet." She smoothed her gown against her body seductively.

"Yes, a race!" cheered Lina. Her big cheeks turning red with excitement.

"Don't you dare, touch him." She shot and glared into Alma's blue eyes that were swimming with amusement.

Lema shoved between the two and reared her face inches away from Ai's.

"Your time is up, and after I rip his soul straight from his throat I'm coming for you." she said while baring her fangs. A thin snake like tongue slithered out of her mouth and rattled in front of Ai's face before she screeched and created a burst of wind to lift herself into the air. Lina and Alma rose within the gust and twirled within the air. Their pale complexions disappearing into the blinding light of the sun.

Ai gasped and clenched her chest. Her knees shook but she forced them to run the rest of the way to the apartment.

* * *

"These flowers are of exceptional taste, I'm sure she will be delighted with your choice. Thank you for your purchase. " said Kurama as he rung up the basket of flowers. The basket was actually typical with callah lillies spread throughout a mixture of roses but the comment made the man perk up with excitement.

"No, Thank you Shuichi."

Kurama nodded and wrapped the basket with a yellow tinted cellophane wrap and adorned it with a white spring back bow then handed it back to the man. Once the man left Kurama started spraying the display flowers with water to make them appear more dewy and clean. The shop was quiet with the noise of the wind chimes fluttering outside of his shop.

It was warm and Kurama only wore a white shirt, that fitted nicely against his body, under his green gardening apron and jeans. This attire made it is easy for him to garden or do nothing at all. The shop didn't get an enormous amount of business but once it did the customers were either girls that he recognized from his classes in high school or men trying to find flowers to swoon those girls. A majority of their business came from larger orders for weddings and other special occasions. The flowers were the best in the town but sadly it wasn't a gift that was commonly given anymore. Regardless, Kurama was content with this temporary life style. It was quiet and allowed him to blend well.

Kurama began adding potting soil to a new plant that he was going to harvest in his shop. A Corpse Flower is indigenous to Indonesia but can only be fond in low lying tropical rain forests. It's a fairly rare flower and hard to take care of but he was determined to make it grow in an unnatural habitat.

"How much is this flower?" asked a lady in the back.

Kurama lifted his head from the pot and furrowed his brow. The store was empty after the man who bought the basket of flowers and he was pretty sure he didn't hear the bell above the door ring. He stood up and wiped his hands on his apron.

"I apologize, I didn't hear you enter."

She twirled a finger in her hair and caressed the leaf from a green and red shrub that hung from a small crane. Her movements were lethargic and seemed to blur in Kurama's mind.

"It's fine." She looked over at him with big blue eyes. Her hair was pulled back into a loose braid that followed the length of her ribs. It contrasted with the white of her dress that swayed against her knees as she slowly approached Kurama.

"Can I, help you with anything?" asked Kurama casually, her stare made him dizzy. He could sense the intense amount of spirit energy that she emitted with every step that she took closer to him. Her eyes were pale blue and looked unnatural with her East Asian characteristics. Her beauty was ghostly and reminded him of someone he knew. He suddenly wondered where Ai was.

She stood only inches away from him now and Kurama was on high alert as she ran a hand gently up his neck to the side of his cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned closely to his lips. Her lips slowly parted and Kurama knew what was coming next.

He suddenly blocked his face from hers with his elbow, giving a painful distance between the two, and jumped back extending his rose whip.

Her head knocked back and she screeched loudly with her mouth gaping, baring two large fangs and a hideously long tongue that peeked out like a snake.

She glared at Kurama. Her blue eyes now carried the color of the ocean.

She screamed again and lunged at him with her arms wide open. A gust of wind pushing her full throttle at Kurama.

The life of the shop was in danger. Petals ripped off of their stems and leaves released into the air.

In any other situation, he would have simply jumped out of the way again, but he stood directly in front of the entrance to the small green house that held a majority of the plants that he cared for.

He slashed his rose whip around him in a circle and summoned a multitude of rose petals to flutter around him that the woman ran directly into. A pink petal gently brushed against her cheek and paralyzed her on the spot. Her hair winded behind her and her arms extended out. Her face was twisted with her mouth wide open, the aggression in her eyes replaced with confusion. She couldn't move.

Kurama looked at the mess that she created and sighed. He placed a hand in his pocket and glared at the frozen woman.

* * *

By the time Ai reached the apartment, no one was there. She mentally slapped herself for forgetting what she has learned in the week that she stalked his routine. It was still early in the evening and he was normally at his shop working. She was in such a panic mode that she was only rushing to the first place she could think of. Luckily, the shop wasn't too far from the apartment. Ai huffed and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Without her bead, she was feeling the burn of running for the first time. It made her throat scratchy and her legs ache but she pushed her way to Kurama's shop.

Ai burst into the shop, the bell ringing happily above her head. She breathed heavily at the sight of a perfectly clean flower shop. She caught her breath and walked along the isles, the register bend was empty.

"Kurama?" she whispered as she walked closer to the back of the shop. A broken pot crunched beneath her feet and her heart jumped at the texture of broken clay stabbing into the fabric of her shoe. She stepped over the mess and turned the corner and stared at the back of Alma's frozen form and Kurama speaking with Yusuke.

Kurama's eyes looked passed Yusuke's shoulder to Ai.

Yusuke turned around and noticed Ai as well, his face concerned. He turned to face her and pointed the same incriminating finger the first time they met, but this time at Alma.

"Yusuke" said Kurama but failed to subside Yusuke's interrogation.

"Who the _fuck_ is this bitch and what the hell did you do to Kurama? Save him my ass, it looks more like a recipe for disaster!"

Ai bit her nails and looked around. She was panicking and stressed about the threat that she received earlier. It was only a matter of time until more of them came. It hurt her heart to see Alma incapacitated but she knew that she would never give up the hunt. The influence from her peers and The Mistress will never allow her to be free, she knew this now.

Tears stung her eyes as she approached Alma who was looking at her with pleading eyes, expecting a release from her captors by her friend. Ai caressed the still cheek "Her name is Alma." she answered sadly, "And she will never, stop." she whispered before plunging her fangs into Alma's frozen neck. Alma gasped loudly and felt the warm liquid gushing out of her neck but wasn't able to lift a hand to instinctively touch the wound or stop Ai from crunching into her neck.

"Ai, No!" Kurama quickly ripped Ai away from Alma, who collapsed to the floor. Ai pulled herself away from Kurama's grasp. Her mouth was smeared with Alma's sticky blood and tears that she cried. It was salty against her tongue. Ai cried loudly and wiped her face with the back of her hand "I'm sorry, I had to. They will never stop. I didn't want to but I have to kill them all. They all have to die. It will never stop. I'm sorry Alma!" She looked at her hands that crippled into themselves and looked disgusting in her eyes. They were the hands of a murderer. The hands that took countless lives of innocent men were now that of a backstabber as well. She closed her eyes, unable to look at them any longer.

"What the fuck!" yelled Yusuke, pointing his spirit gun at Ai, prepared to fire.

Kurama knelt besides Alma's still form and hesitantly examined her. Light blue wisps lifted from out of her open mouth and up into the air. The light floated like ribbons being pulled by an invisible string. A small bead hovered within the light, a similar one that Kurama now harbors within himself. It floated up with the ribbons then suddenly cracked. It shattered within the glow of Alma's fading life and fell like glitter upon her face. It sunk into her skin and dissolved the empty shell of a body once known as Alma.

"They are coming for you, Kurama. They want your soul. It was supposed to go to the forest that day but I- " Ai gasped out.

Kurama sighed, "I'm glad it didn't but it seems there are some loose ends that we need to tie." He stood up.

Yusuke nodded and lowered his hands and crossed them instead. "Let's just go in and beat up their leader" suggested Yusuke.

"We will be out numbered. I'll ask Hiei if he would be interested in assisting me. It seems that Ai may be right about their persistence." He looked at her. "What can you tell us about The Mistress?"

Ai turned her back to them, unable to stand beneath their stares. "She's strong, and with each soul she devours she gets stronger.." she suddenly felt ashamed for being one of the top suppliers. With the amount of support that she has provided for The Mistresses throughout the years, she practically dug her own grave, if she wasn't already in one. "The Mistress lives in the largest tree in the forest. Our . . _camp _where her agents do most of their work is there but we will probably encounter a few before getting near it."

Yusuke scoffed "Camp? You mean, your slaughter house where you lead innocent men to their death."

"Yes." she turned to them with a solemn face.

It was much more than that but Yusuke made it sound so wrong. The house was where men walked to their doom but they experienced an immense amount of pleasure before leaving this world. Many of the men were willing victims to the ghosts that occupied the house, confusing it for a sort of "gentleman's club". It wasn't Ai's choice of hunting but she couldn't deny that she actively participated in her first years with The Mistress.

She remained silent.

Kurama could see the darkness that clouded her eyes at thoughts that he assumed were related to her experiences in the forest. Although he had no idea of what they were like, he was still grateful for being alive and it was because of her. He pitied her. "Most importantly, we need to think of a plan for infiltration. We can't go walking in blind" he directed the conversation back. "If Ai pretends as if she is bringing us to-"

"No way!" Yusuke interrupted "No way, Kurama. That's a death wish. I bet she just wants to give all of our souls to that mistress lady!"

Kurama thoughtfully squinted his eyes then turned to Yusuke. "I think it's the only plan we have." he lifted a hand to stop Yusuke from further interruption. "Ai gave me her bead, Yusuke. I trust that she will not scam us out of our lives." He glanced at Ai and smiled "In exchange for her life, I promised to help her start a new one."

Ai's heart dropped into her stomach and made a giant splash in her ears as a giant wave of relief washed over her. It hurt to hear his words, they were painfully lovely and it made her heart warm. She couldn't stop the smile that wavered onto her face. The complication of emotions thundered in her head.

Yusuke scowled at Ai, still not completely trusting of her. It was a little difficult for him to see what Kurama sees in her when her mouth was covered with the blood of her supposed friend. Her smile freaked him out a little.

"Fine, whatever but at any sign of mistrust I'll blow you straight into the ground, where you belong." He made a shooting gesture in her direction. "I'm going to find Kuwabara, you can contact Hiei. I'll meet you in about an hour. Let's get this done with."

Yusuke kicked up dirt as he left the shop with his hands jammed into his pockets. His emotions showed too easily and it made Ai uncomfortable that he didn't seem to like her but she understood. She unintentionally put their lives at risk because of her selfish wish for escape. Guilt colored her face and no matter how much she rubbed, it wouldn't go away.

"Well, let's get cleaned up. Shall we?" Kurama removed his apron, folded it neatly then placed it on a counter. He opened a cupboard beneath the counter and pulled out wet wipes from a white container which he used to gently clean the blood off of Ai's face.

She stood as if she was paralyzed by his petals but was only soaking in the trauma. With tears welling at the corners of her eyes she sniffled an apology to him.

He smiled comfortingly and finished wiping the mess from her face. "It's quite alright. We will be fine." He dropped his hand from her face and tossed the dirty wipe into a near by can.

She suddenly grabbed his arm.

"You promise..?" she forced herself to look at him with her swollen eyes. Her bottom lip quivered slightly, trying to suppress the weight of sadness and fear from breaking her down.

Kurama looked down at her thin hand wrapped around his wrist. He twisted it out of her grip then held her hand for comfort and nodded his head. His fingers were only twisted within hers and yet it felt like he stepped into a separate world. The flowers around them suddenly smelled much more potent, and their colors more vibrant. The artificial light above them was white and crisp and everything seemed to blur together around them.

His fingers burned against hers. _Effects from the bead being near it's owner, no doubt, _thought Kurama trying to bring logic to the sudden dream like state.

"I promise."


	7. Goodbye, Lina

The sun was simmering behind the mountains that lurked behind the forest that Ai lead the boys into. Their feet crunched beneath the bustle of fallen leaves and branches from the grandfather trees. Ai seemed to prance along in the tall grass and avoid the trail that the rest of the group walked on behind her.

As terrible as their situation was, a part of her felt happy to be back on familiar ground. She kept this comment to herself though. After meeting Kuwabara and Hiei the awkwardness was even greater than when it was with just Yusuke. She assumed they wouldn't understand, and she was probably right. Kuwabara was excited to make the trip but Hiei only made terrible suggestions about killing Ai. He thought that it would be in everyone's best interest if Kurama would kill her and keep the bead forever. It would save them from making any trips at all. Kurama was the only one who openly opposed the idea but Hiei decided to attend for the sake of his friend's life.

Unfortunately, because The Mistress was acting out in the Human world, the events were to be reported to Koenma and he requested an audience with Ai after the work was done

Yusuke smelled the air and felt saliva build up in his mouth. "Can you guys smell that? It smells great! It smells like barbecue chicken or something." He took another whiff of the air, his eyes clouded over in a daze.

Kuwabara inhaled deeply then grinned. "Yeah! It smells like a giant feast and boy, am I hungry." His stomach grumbled loudly as he began to stumble towards the smell.

Kurama placed a firm hand on Kuwabara's shoulder to stead him in place. "Bait from the ghosts, I presume."

"Only a weakling can't resist this trick." scoffed Hiei.

Kuwabara couldn't hear his insult. He was too busy trying to escape from Kurama's grasp so he could run towards the smell. Saliva began to slip out of the corner of his mouth and his eyes became foggy with enchantment.

"Maybe we should just break his knees." Hiei crossed his arms and looked at Kurama as he began to struggle to hold Kuwabara from the spell.

Ai looked back at them and did a head count. "One, two, three, .. Where is Yusuke?"

Hiei and Kurama looked away from Kuwabara and saw no trace of Yusuke either. Kurama sighed and released Kuwabara. "Follow him."

Ai smacked her forehead and followed behind Kuwabara as he crazily ran towards the camp where Yusuke was sure to be.

Kuwabara laughed maniacally with his arms waving in the air as he ran closer to the lit house in the middle of the forest. It was bright within the dark forest with paper lanterns and candles floating on invisible wires that surrounded the traditional house. The lights shined in a pattern of blue, orange, and yellow. It was like a world taken right out of a movie and thrown onto this very spot on earth.

A large water fountain gushed clean water that changed colors beneath the lanterns.

The smell was stronger now, it smelled like a festival full of a variety of foods that were laid out for the taking. Music played from the house where shadows of women danced across the thin doors that separated them from the outside.

Kuwabara ran straight to the table with plates of food where Lina sat pouring red wine into pristine glasses.

Lina's cheeks lifted as she smiled and greeted Kuwabara, immediately taking a seat besides him.

Slightly out of breath, Ai ran besides Kuwabara and pushed between Lina and Kuwabara roughly. "No, I brought him. He is mine. As well as the other three. Where is my missing _guest?"_

"Rude!" shouted Lina getting up and dusting herself off. She quickly composed herself and sucked in her anger. She smoothed her hair and tilted her chin up. "Four is quite a lot for you Ai, don't you think we can split-"

"No, I plan on bringing them directly to The Mistress." Ai let Kuwabara stuff his face with the imaginary food. It would be suspicious for her to rip him away from it. She only hoped that they wouldn't notice Kurama and Hiei acting indifferently to the made up wonderland.

Ai turned to Kurama and Hiei not quite sure what to do. She wasn't expecting them to rush over here, if anything she wanted to avoid it and go directly to The Mistress but it didn't seem like it was going to happen that way.

"I'm going inside to find our friend, you two can stay out here and enjoy our feast prepared for your arrival" she forced a convincing smile in front of Lina and hoped she wouldn't see her sweat. She needed to get inside that house to pull Yusuke out.

"I'll accompany you" said Kurama, linking his arm with hers and turning back to look at Hiei. "I can't let a lady go on her own, right?" he made a swift glance at Kuwabara who was choking on a piece of bread.

Hiei turned away and crossed his arms. "Hn" The last thing he wanted to do was to babysit an even more mindless Kuwabara but he knew that Kurama was right. It was likely that he would get his soul taken from him the moment they turn their back on him and as much as Hiei liked to pretend he didn't care for the human, he did.

Lina clapped her hands and cheered. "Oh, I'm so excited!" she said and ran a finger down Hiei's chest, uncrossing his arms. Hiei lifted a brow and stared at Lina with beady eyes. He was a little amused with her attempt to seduce him.

"Right~" Ai pulled Kurama closer to her protectively as they slid the door open to the house. A ray of yellow light illuminated upon them as they entered a room made of gold. It was a magical place with a large water fountain in the middle of the room that was surrounded by plush plum pillows. Giant gold pillars, adorned with ancient Chinese characters carved into the material ,held up the building.

A large bowl of fire hung from the ceiling and cast shadows all around the room and over the women who leisurely laid around. A few of the women danced beneath the shadows and twirled a man, that Ai didn't recognize as Yusuke, between them. He laughed and was ignorantly in bliss among the dozens of women.

Kurama could feel eyes lingering on them as he walked behind Ai who was peering through sheet covered rooms for their partner. There were too many "doors" for Ai to check all of them on time. She turned to Kurama, clearly frustrated. "Can you sense him anywhere?" she asked in a low voice.

"Yes" said Kurama, concentrating on his energy. It was slightly difficult for him to filter through the massive amount of floating spirits that were desperately trying to get his attention but like a light at the end of a tunnel Yusuke's energy pinged at the back of his mind.

He tilted his head in the direction of one of the rooms near the end of the hallway. Ai nodded and walked towards the room. They could see Yusuke's shadow behind the pink sheet that was meant as a door. His shadow was shoveling food into his mouth while another shadow, a woman's, hovered over him closely.

"C'mon, it'll be fun. I promise~" it whispered near his ear but Yusuke continued to feed himself.

With a mouth full of rice and meat he managed to mumble an audible sentence "I know it's fun, Keiko showed me." he took a gulp of water to help push down the contents in his mouth. He heaved in a large breath then belched, prepared for more food.

Ai grimaced at Kurama then pulled open the curtain.

Yusuke didn't look from his plate of food but Lema defensively jumped away from Yusuke and backed into the nearest wall, her hand on her chest. She gasped loudly then smiled when she saw who it was.

"Oh, Ai. You frightened me!" her smile grew wider at the sight of Kurama and her eyes shined. "I see you brought, _him."_

Ai looked at Lema from the corner of her eye and knelt by Yusuke. She shook his shoulder gently. "I did, as well as this one. I'll take him back now and-"

Lema pushed off the wall and smacked Ai's hand off of Yusuke's shoulder angrily. The slap stung against Ai's skin.

"I don't think so." her voice was low and menacing.  
Ai looked up at Lema surprised.

"This is so typical of you, Ai. You already have a demon and yet you want this one too? No, no. Even when you run away for a while, you think you can just come back and everything will be the same. You're so vain. I'm sorry, but you're mistaken." She began to circle around Ai like a tiger on the hunt. " There is a saying that Lina taught me, I think it goes something like '_finders keepers_, _losers weepers._'"

Ai closed her eyes and remained in control of herself. The last thing she wanted was to break out into a fight without her bead but she needed to get Yusuke out. Lema was determined to take his soul, and if he wouldn't give in willingly, she would rip it right out of his body. Ai breathed in and bit her bottom lip.

She looked at Kurama and nodded towards Yusuke. "Help me lift him away from the table, please."

Kurama nodded and forced Yusuke's arm away from the plate and around his shoulder. Ai started to clear the table.

Yusuke whined. "Hey, no. I'm not full yet."

Lema became livid, her eyes began to glow yellow and she raised her hand. "You dare ignore me?!"

She extended her claws and bared her fangs. With a loud scream she threw her hand down.

Kurama quickly leaned over Yusuke and grabbed Lema's wrist before she could make contact against the side of Ai's face.

Lema gasped and her face flushed red.

Kurama looked up at her and smiled. "Beautiful women shouldn't act violently." His voice was calm as he tried to gain control of the situation. Their plan was slowly escalating into something dangerous and this was his way of acknowledging the issue.

Ai looked up from her position and stared up at the scene before her. His grip against Lema's wrist looked tight, almost painful, and his arm blocked the light on the ceiling from Ai's eyes. It was silly, but he looked like a hero standing above her with the shadow falling on his face and the light hitting the top of his head. Yusuke's bobbing head almost ruined the moment but Ai's mind was filled with so much adrenaline, he was almost invisible.

"Hero" she whispered, and Kurama glanced at her, a little puzzled.

The red brightened against Lema's face as she released a blood curdling scream and ripped her hand from Kurama. She opened her mouth as wide as she could and bared her fangs. Her face elongated and her pupils split. The skin between her eyes scrunched as her nose thinned and pointed outwards.

A giant gust of wind slammed into the building, making it shake within. The gold against the walls began to melt away into thick particles of dust and deteriorate into a strange rust. The roof slanted against the top and was infested with spiders and filled cobwebs that hung closely to the ground. The soft pillows were hard rocks that were stained with strange liquids and reeked of mold.

Yusuke screamed and pushed the table away from him then began to spit puddles. His dish was covered in twigs, dirt, maggots and other things forged from the forest. He threw a shriveled cob of corn that had no kernels on it across the room. He mistook it for a drumstick of chicken in his euphoric state. He felt like he was going to vomit.

Kuwabara's scream could be heard from the outside garden.

Kurama quickly helped Yusuke and Ai stand up. He grabbed Ai's hand and they rushed out of the room. As soon as they entered the hallway leading to the entrance, a woman rushed towards them. Her face was aggressively scrunched like a bat as she screamed and flew towards them.

"Oh, hell no!" Yusuke positioned himself right in the middle of the hallway and pointed his finger at the quickly approaching ghost. "Spirit Gun!" he shouted and shot the energy bullet. It beamed right between her face. She bloated for a small second then her body combusted into flakes of fiery dust.

Ai held her breath but continued to run with them down the hallway. Screams and ghosts swam in the air, circling in the ceiling awaiting their rude guests.

The man that was dancing with the women earlier now hung from a crane wrapped in their gowns. Three women bit into him creating a bloody pool beneath his limp body. One ripped an artery straight from his throat, chewing on the tube as she clung onto his body in the air, her gown browning with his blood.

Yusuke shot the witches away from the man but it was too late. His soul was already gone to The Mistress and he died a while ago. His body limply swung on the crane.

"C'mon you guys!" Yusuke shouted over the noise and headed for the exit.

Ai shut her eyes and clung tightly to Kurama, following blindly behind him. She could smell the stickiness in the pool of blood. The smell created a drop of sweetness at the tip of her tongue which she bit back. It was so painfully familiar that it almost tortured her to leave it behind. Kurama's grip on her hand tightened, reminding her of why this is.

Yusuke kicked open the slide door and jumped down the steps. He booked it to the food table which was now flipped over. Kuwabara stood near a tree, emptying his stomach of the rocks and other non-edible objects that resided inside it and Hiei stood away from Kuwabara with his hands resting behind his back.

"Where's Lina..?" Ai was almost afraid to ask, and a part of her knew the answer but she needed confirmation. She couldn't see any sign of her.

"I killed her." Hiei said indifferently.

A tremor of relief rose in her stomach but slowly scratched away beneath the sway of sadness that was creeping in her mind. Lina was trapped and suffocated into this life just as much as she was. Like two peas in a pod only Lina rotted from the darkness and Ai managed to slip out. She knew Lema wouldn't take kindly to this news so she pushed forward.

"We don't have much time, lets go."

"So much for that plan." Yusuke shrugged and followed behind Ai with the rest of the group as she lead them to the giant tree that stood in the distance.


	8. Devour

The vegetation thickened around them the closer they got to the tree and the vapor that emitted from beneath the large roots flooded around them.

They were soon at the front of the tree. The trunk was equivalent to the length of several cars lined up together; it was intimidating.

"This is a big ass tree. Now, how do we get in?" Kuwabara scratched his head and tried to look around the tree but found himself straying too far away from the group. He quickly skittered back to their sides.

"Like this-" Ai brushed her hand against the brown bark and pushed through, walking directly into it. She disappeared into a ripple in the tree. It waved around like water agitated by a fallen pebble.

Yusuke looked at his gang then nodded towards the wavering bark. He stepped through and they followed closely behind.

"That was weird!" said Kuwabara as he patted his body for injuries.

"Tell me about it" agreed Yusuke.

"Let's not lose sight of our objective." reminded Kurama. He looked at Ai, his stare lingering on her back for a while before settling up with the rest of them.

They walked directly into another forest. Trees grew within the tree and beautiful orchids hung lazily around in the damp corners. A small river crept around and hugged the edges of the meadow swallowed within The Mistress' residence. It was eerily quite.

"Ah~ Ai. I'm glad you're home. And You brought me dessert?" the loud voice boomed over them. The Mistress sat upon her wooden throne that was covered in a variety of shrubs and moss. Her face was taut against the structure of her face with a slender nose and small sharp eyes. Her robes spilled over the throne and bunched around like a resting animal.

Ai was at a loss of words. She didn't think about what she was going to say to her and she wasn't expecting to say anything at all. All she wanted was for the whole ordeal to be done and over with.

"Mistress I-" her voice barely came out as a whimper, her courage gone. Invisible arms weighed heavily upon her shoulders and forced her to kneel with her forehead painfully grinding against the dirt floor. Her will was ripped right out from beneath her feet as she bowed like a servant before her master. Tears squeezed out of the corners of her eyes and darkened the dirt.

"Ai!" Yusuke ran over to her side and tried to help her up but she was cemented to the floor.

"Fool, she is useless here." spat Hiei as he withdrew his sword from his sheath.

The Mistress tilted her head back and let out a howl of a laugh. She gazed upon her guests and glided a hand over them. "Ai, you know better than to address me without a proper greeting first. Did you forget that I own you. You belong to me and so long as your body is buried beneath _my _tree-" her voice grew louder as she stood up and descended the stairs. Her smile faded and matched her angry tone. Her slender figure looked as if it was slithering down the ramps. "I'm actually very disappointed in you, Ai." .

She stopped midway down the stairs and glared condescendingly at her crippled back. A thin line of bumps from her spine could be seen trailing down her back beneath her dress. She was painfully bending into the greeting. The mistress smiled at her discomfort and slowly raised her arm with a gaping hand. Like long tentacles, her fingernails were red and sharp spikes that protruded offensively. "Oh, how rude of me. I have guests and no entertainers. Excuse me." She lifted her chin and whistled. The trees bustled and the sound of bells began to ring loudly around them.

"C'mon, get up!" Yusuke said desperately. Kuwabara tried to help pull her up as well but it was futile.

"I can't! Just – stop! They are coming." Ai spoke into the ground, unable to lift her head and warn the detectives.

Kurama summoned his Rose Whip and slapped it against the ground, preparing for an attack. "Yusuke, leave her. We are in much more immediate danger. " He drew closer to Hiei who already had his sword withdrawn. They stood vulnerably in the middle of the surrounding trees where phantasmal creatures crawled out of the shade wearing spectral gowns. Their snickered and their bones cracked with forceful animation. Their faces were pale with dark sunken eyes.

Yusuke hesitantly pulled away from Ai and joined the side of his fellow detectives with Kuwabara joining them shortly after. Yusuke glanced over at her bent body and could see her feet tucked beneath her thighs. Keiko's white flats were dirtied at the bottom from walking in the forest and had brown and green smears around the sides. His heart dropped. He felt sorry for her and he wanted her to survive this ordeal to apologize for his rude behavior and thank her for saving him earlier in the evening. His lazy approach for the mission quickly transformed into something passionate. He wanted to right her wrongs and help her anyway he could.

The loud screeching brought him back to their direct danger. He put his hands together and grinned, excited and pumped for the fight. His adrenaline rushed into his fingers. "Alright! Let's do this!" he shouted and they broke off into an attack.

"Come here girl!" The Mistress' eyes grew wide and an invisible forced pulled Ai from the ground. The heavy pressure was suddenly gone and she was weightlessly being flung through the air. Her face met the strong hand of her master. She gasped between her bark like hand and breathed in her tears. She whimpered but did nothing but hang powerlessly against the palm of the Demoness' hand. Nothing but black clouded her vision. Open or closed she only saw the black scratchy pattern of a tree against a dark brown texture. It was hot against her face and although she was numb from the pain she could feel her hair sticking to her body in a matted mess.

"You were my best, Ai. Even better than Lema who has been with me years before you. It's a shame and I wish that you had not rebelled against me. I gave you _everything. " _Her voice became hoarse and shallow matching the darkness in her eyes. "You went through quite a mess to protect that demon. I can smell you inside of him. You gave him your bead, hm?"

The Mistress squeezed her face tighter and gave her a light shake out of amusement. She laughed and bared her fangs. Her initial plan for torture was to bite into her neck and drain her of the little life that the girl had left but after her recent stunt of heroism her idea of punishment shifted. "Could it be? After countless men, you've found someone you believe to be _the one_?" The Mistress laughed at her naivety almost dropping Ai to hold her stomach to suppress the pinching of humor in her side. "Oh Ai, This is not love."

Her nose scrunched at the distasteful thought and anger suddenly rose into her eyes. In one swift motion with her free hand, like a blade, she cut Ai's long hair over her shoulders with her nails. The long black locks tumbled to the floor in a slow fall and pooled beneath her feet. Her hair blended into the shadow that she cast that dangled like a lantern.

Ai shuddered at the fall of her hair grazing her shoulders and a cry escaped her lips. She could barely feel the ends of her hair brushing against her shoulders in an uneven line.

Hiei jumped down and cut straight through a ghost creeping up behind the fox. Kurama turned around to the sound of a splitting body. It imploded between Hiei's sword and revealed Ai's current situation through the emptying space. Kurama acted quickly and threw a sharp rose that sped passed Hiei's cheek and through the air . Hiei turned his head and followed the bullet. It rushed towards The Mistress and stabbed directly into the wrist that held onto Ai's face but she didn't release her.

She turned to the detectives and bared her fangs over a giant grin. "Fools! She belongs to me, and soon so will your souls! I will **live** forever!" She lifted Ai even higher above her own head with an elongated arm that bent crookedly like a branch. Her mouth gaped open and she gorged Ai in one giant gulp.

"Oh my god, what the _fuck!" _screamed Yusuke.

"Dude, she just ate her!" Kuwabara pointed with a trembling finger.

"No, she is only performing a silly magic trick." Hiei said sarcastically "Of course she did, imbecile."

The Mistress licked her lips and stared at them with crazed eyes. Her hair branched out of her head in twisted layers. "She is mine. Whatever happens to me, happens to her. Choose your moves wisely!" she shouted as she scaled down the stairs.

"Coward." Hiei pointed his sword at her and was about to advance but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

Kurama shook his head "Please, Hiei. Don't hurt her."

Hiei rolled his eyes. "We should just kill her. Our lives are at risk here, fox. Don't let your emotions cloud your judgment now."

"We can still save her." Kurama said thoughtfully "Recall what she said when we entered. If we desecrate Ai's burial site she wont be under this demons control any longer. She can have true freedom."

"You're right! But we don't know where it is" Yusuke chimed in as he pummeled a wench into the ground. She shattered beneath his fist and disappeared.

"I believe I do. I can feel it." He touched his chest and felt Ai's warmth within him. It was fleeting but there, pulsing rhythmically with his flowing blood.

"Then go! We'll take care of things here!" said Yusuke, sweat began to trail down the side of his face.

The army of the undead was weak but many. It felt like a never ending wave of bitches.

"Besides, this is the most bedroom action Kuwabara is ever going to get in his life time!" joked Yusuke.

Kuwabara got distracted by his comment and was slapped in the face by a powerful hand.

"Hey!" he shouted before tearing his spirit sword through the assailant.

Kurama nodded and gave a warning glance at Hiei who turned his back. "Hn. Make haste, fox. I will only tolerate this nonsense for so long."

He nodded again and ran for the exit. He pressed his hand against the lining as Ai did and rushed out.

"Hold on a little longer, Ai. I'm coming." he breathed out in a hoarse whisper to himself before rounding the large corner of the tree and hiking up the hill to her grave, straight into a cloud of mossy fume.


	9. More Than Life

Authors Note:

I apologize! This chapter is so long but there was so much that I wanted to fit in so that I can get to the chapters that I really want to write. :3  
This is terrible, it is seriously an addiction. I get jittery throughout the day if I don't write down my ideas for this story and I keep laughing to myself in public because I come up with these crazy things.

I'm so in love with what I want to share with my readers, this is insane.

Anyway, bare with the lengthy-ness of this chapter. I feel like that it gives a lot of insight to my future chapters but also starts the actual new beginning that I've been dying to write for Ai.

* * *

Kurama scaled the hill fairly quickly with his swift jumps. His hair stuck to the side of his face from the dense humidity in the air and it bothered him. It felt sticky and layered on him like honey.

He wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt. He was sweating slightly from the heat. The briskness from jumping his way up the hill felt so nice against his skin that he didn't realize he was even sweating.

He reached a flat plain that was populated by skinny dead trees that circled the only blossoming plant in sight. A beautiful Litchi Chinensis stood tall between the dead branches. It's arms were covered in beautiful green sheets that made it a full and lush canopy. Small collections of lychee fruit can be seen dangling off of thick branches. They were bright red and oval in shape.

As beautiful as the tree was, there was no life other than itself. The dirt smelled of rot and appeared toxic; it was brown with a tint of purple that pulsed lightly beneath the moon.

Kurama was almost hesitant to step onto the land. He knelt down and examined the ground and was amazed with the amount of spirit energy that it was saturated in. There was no life, other than Kurama and the tree, and yet the dirt was soaking in gallons of spirit energy.

The ground pulsed with his own at his first step. It was as if the floor vibrated from the tips of his toes to his head. He could suddenly feel all of the bodies that rested beneath the ground. Their trapped spirits desperately trying to float up into the sky but were blocked by the poisonous barricaded that the tree rested on.

He took another step and his heart pounded, he was getting closer and he could literally feel it. His eyes became heavy but he forced himself to continue. With every step that he took the vibrations at his feet intensified and his heart pounded heavier. Ai's bead trembled inside of him.

The thumping forced him to the ground on his knees directly beneath the lychee tree. It shaded him from the heat of the humidity and playfully taunted him with it's leaves brushing against the ends of his hair.

He hung his head and shook his head, his vision becoming as shaky as the vibrations beneath him. The ground eagerly called for him and he could only oblige. He smoothed his hand against the grainy ground and within the oddly colored soil a small green sprout perked up.

Kurama almost couldn't believe his eyes. He was afraid that toxins in the air might be affecting his senses, and although he was right about that, the sprout truly existed. He cupped his hands around the small sprout and began to feed it energy. It's growth began to rapidly accelerate.

It quickly expanded into a shrub with giant and beautifully full hydrangea flowers.

"Ajisai..." whispered Kurama as he gazed upon it's beautiful form. He inhaled their perfume and could smell Ai within them. He brushed his thumb against a petal and smeared the dew that rested upon it's surfaces. It felt smooth and clean beneath his skin.

Hydrangea flowers, also known as ajisai or nanahenge, are flowers that Kurama is extremely familiar with. They are indigenous to Japan and although poisonous if consumed, they are a beautiful bunch of deep blue petals. A symbol of love and silent devotion. The flowers change colors depending on the chemical makeup of the soil and yet the flowers were the most brightest and purest blue that Kurama has ever seen in all his years; even in the death contaminated soil.

Kurama immediately began to dig into the rough dirt beneath the shrub. It's roots tangling within his fingers. He could see evidence of disturbed soil the further he entered the earth.

* * *

Ai held her knees into her chest and floated aimlessly. Her hair swished around her and gently tickled her neck. Although she was in water, she had no need or want to breath. She wasn't tired or energetic, happy or sad. She simply existed within The Mistress, spinning endlessly into a deep dark void of universal nothingness. There seemed to be no ending or no beginning to where the spinning began. She was the needle playing on an empty record and an apple that drifted endlessly in space.

She couldn't remember where she was or what she was doing but didn't try hard to find out either. She was content within her water bubble that sailed in blue waves. She would open her eyes but she knew what she would see, nothing. A moment of doubt rode over her but she pushed it away willing the blissful ignorance back into her mind. Curiosity quickly came though, the feeling more than fleeting, so she squinted her eyes allowing the doubt to return.

Her eyes widened as she slowly drifted closer to a blue light that stood static in the darkness. The closer she got the more she panicked and felt the need to breath. Her lungs caved in and she gasped but she only filled with water. It was suddenly difficult to breath. She shut her eyes tightly, wishing for her dark void to return. She was scared and didn't want to know what was out there. She only wanted to stay where it was comfortable and safe. Crumpling clumps of dirt trickled over her head. She reacted by hesitantly looking up into the blue light that hung over her. It pulsed brighter and brighter.

She lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the falling pebbles of dirt. Within the light, two hands clawed down at her impatiently, breaking down the layers until she was completely engulfed by the light.

It took her eyes a while to adjust but her doubt and fear disappeared within the clear eyes of Kurama.

* * *

Kurama wrapped her bones and one of the bundles of hydrangea flowers in the white gown that was buried with her body. The dress was messy with dirt and stained with blood. He wondered how she died as he tied a knot in the dress, securing the ivory bones within. He stood up, feeling the peace of the ground. It no longer shook or made him feel dizzy.

He could suddenly sense the boost of a familiar energy approach him quickly and just as the gust of wind rushed passed him he turned and blocked Lema's claw from scratching at the back of his head.

She looked at his hand that grappled tightly around her wrist and smiled. Her eyes shined bright yellow into his deep green ones. He slowly released her hand and she took a step away from him with her eyes shifting to the makeshift bag.

"I don't think you want to do that. She's a naughty little girl who's done terrible things." she snickered.

Kurama clenched the knot tightly and stared at Lema with an intimidating visage. He was hoping that he could leave quickly and not further defile Ai's original resting place but it seemed that things were quickly turning sour.

"I should know, I did them with her!" Lema laughed as she swayed in place. "We're pretty notorious, you know? That's why we came here to Japan, but I guess she wanted an even cleaner slate than that, huh?" She crossed her arms and humored herself with Ai's fantasy of living a quite life. Her eyes lifted and met Kurama's daunting stare which only made her smile grow.

"I can see why she chose you." She took a step closer to him with her hand slowly reaching out. Her bottom lip sucked behind her fang as she ran a finger down his chest. "Handsome." her finger ran even further down his torso. "Clever and strong" she then traced the lining of his pants but he smacked her hand away and walked passed her.

"I'm flattered, but I don't have the time." Kurama leaped off the hill and Lema trailed quickly behind him.

"But you have the time for her, right?!" she yelled out.

Kurama turned around and looked at her unamused. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do."

Lema's face turned green with envy. Once again she was being called second best to Ai. To The Mistress, to the men that she's murdered, and now to this strange demon she was second best to Ai. She couldn't understand. She was here first, she followed protocol, she did everything she was supposed to but still couldn't hold a candle to the wild child Ai. Even when she ran away, The Mistress was questioning her whereabouts and was concerned for her return. If Lema was the one to run away, would it be the same?

Lema screamed out in frustration and hurled herself at Kurama with her nails extended and thirsty for his blood.

Kurama caught her hands in his, careful to not drop the contents in his hand, and fought to push her back. She screamed and with all of her might backed him into the nearest tree.

The back of his shoes collected dirt from the resistance of her push but he still found his back pressing against the rough surface.

"We are the same!" she screamed crazily into his face with her fangs nearing his cheek.

He tilted his head away from her as far as he could, concentrating on the assemblage of plants behind her. The forest was her home but it was his element. Lema was blinded with jealousy and was desperate for redemption through the death of Kurama. He would be the last one to reject her.

"Think of her when I feast on your liver!" she yelled and pulled a hand back to jam it into his face but it unexpectedly tangled within the vines of a tree that she didn't remember being behind her. Her eyes widened and turned around to look at it slowly creep up her arm and over her neck.

She tugged at it futilely.

Kurama slipped away from her and began to walk away once again. He tried to prevent this type of confrontation but the outcome was inevitable. He understood Ai's words more clearly now.

She shook her head and her eyes pleaded with Kurama. "Wait! No!"

He looked at her from over his shoulder, his hand coolly resting in his pocket and the other holding onto Ai's remains. His eyes were stoic and clean as he watched the plant slowly engulf her. "She is _nothing_ like you." he said harshly and ended their argument.

She screamed and cursed at his retreating silhouette that slowly disappeared into the fog of the forest.

* * *

The Mistress laughed as she brought the drilling branches closer to Yusuke's face. Yusuke squinted an eye and reared his face as far away as he could but suddenly felt the demon pull away.

She screamed and her eyes widened with her mouth gaping open. She dry heaved while holding her stomach.

Yusuke nodded to Kuwabara and they rushed her, taking advantage of her vulnerable state. She was feeling the pain of Ai's body detaching from her. She no longer held her will and fought to contain her inside. Yusuke knew what was happening and only hoped that they wont attack her too soon. "This is our chance!" shouted Yusuke.

The Mistress opened her arms wide as her head forcefully jerked back and tilted up. Water began to trickle out the corners of her mouth and her eyes. She raised a skinny hand to her mouth and tried to keep her mouth from opening and releasing anything inside of her.

In unison Yusuke and Kuwabara leaped into the air and charged their spirit energy at the end of their feet. Simultaneously, they slammed their feet into her open stomach with all of their weight.

She uttered out a gurgling moan as water exploded out of her mouth and Ai flung out like a fish with the explosion.

Ai flopped onto Kuwabara in a sloppy wet mess.

The Misstress' hair transformed into a technicolor silver the moment Ai left her body. She screamed in frustration and snaked her head back at the detectives.

"**I will kill **_**all**_** of you!" **she laughed psychotically.

The remaining phantoms ceased their attacks and quickly began to skitter away back into their holes with fear in their moans.

"We need to leave." Hiei said suddenly then the ground began to shake. The ceiling dropped large rocks that cracked against the ground of her voice.

"The place is going to collapse, C'mon!" yelled Yusuke

"Geez! I'm going as fast as I can!" shouted Kuwabara. He heaved Ai's small and wet body over his shoulder and ran after Yusuke. Hiei was ways ahead of them.

Yusuke touched the lining of the tree like Ai did but nothing happened.

"What the fuck?!" panicked Yusuke.

Kuwabara hastily grabbed for Ai's limp hand and rubbed it against the bark and still nothing happened.

"No~!" shouted Kuwabara, looking to Yusuke for answers.

"Imbeciles." Hiei pushed them aside and began to slash away at the trunk. Pieces of wood shrapnel flung in the air as he chipped away at the bark.

"Alright!" cheered Yusuke. He took his stance besides Hiei and readied his hands, "Demon Gun!" . The red beam shot straight through the bark with the help of Hiei's continuous attacks.

Hiei and Yusuke ensured that Kuwabara made it out first before heading out of the hole themselves.

* * *

Kurama could see the giant tree shaking and pulling it's roots out from beneath the ground. The roots lifted out of the sand like legs. It even shook piles of dirt off of themselves.

He could hear The Demoness' laughter bellow through the layers of wood as the large arms swayed around in the air.

Kurama could see his fellow detectives quickly approaching, their faces looking rather distressed; Hiei was an exception and still had a face of indifference; Yusuke's face showed panic, amusement was present in his eyes though as he ran; Kuwabara just looked silly, his eyes bugging out of his head and Ai's arms dangling behind him like a cape.

"I need some time to heal her, you guys!" breathed Kuwabara, he was slightly out of breath. Ai wasn't a heavy person but the water weighed her down upon his shoulder and it took quite a bit for Kuwabara to keep up with his companions.

Kurama was relieved to see her safe but he wasn't sure if he could see her breathing. Her dress clung to her body and water dripped at the tips. The drops trailed down parts of her exposed skin.

Kuwabara carefully laid her down on a bed of leaves and grass. They all looked down at her, even Hiei glanced at her through the corner of his eye.

"Shit, is she dead?" asked Yusuke.

"She will be if I don't heal her! You guys keep that crazy bitch away from me while I use my Spirit Transfusion!" Kuwabara knelt besides her and rolled up her sleeves.

"Hn, let's just kill the witch and get this over with." said Hiei. It took everything inside of him to not kill The Mistress while she possessed Ai. It even cost him to take a few scratches from the witch; this was more than what he was willing to take for the sake of a stranger.

He leaped into a tree and made his way towards the animated wooded structure with his sword unsheathed and ready to taste blood.

"Wake her up Kuwabara, Koenma wants a word with her!" shouted Yusuke and ran off. "Hey! Leave some of the action for me!" he called out after Hiei.

Kurama removed his flannel button up and dressed Ai in it; which left him with only the white shirt that he wore to work earlier that day. She looked seconds away from hypothermia with her blue lips and raw eyelids. Her skin, normally sun kissed, was pale and thin like a sheet of wet paper pressed against glass. He could see her veins begin at her wrist and disappear into the length of her arms that he covered with his sleeves.

She looked fragile and offering his flannel was the only appropriate thing that he could think of for him to protect her. He wished that he could do more but decided that it would be best for Kuwabara to begin his work. The only option would be to return her power but he wasn't even sure how he would go about doing that. Kurama placed Ai's lovely bones besides Kuwabara. Hesitation made his footsteps rock back and forth indecisively until he finally, most uncertainly, left Ai under Kuwabara's care.

"Gentle, Kuwabara" warned Kurama with his leave.

Kuwabara assumed the position by her side with his hands on her chest but quickly withdrew them. He looked around suspiciously and breathed loudly. He's only performed this skill once and it was out of desperation to save Yusuke's life. He wasn't quite sure if he could duplicate the power and have the same outcome but he prayed that it would work. This situation was significantly different than the last time. There was no dire need for him, personally, to want to save her life other than the glory and obligation he has to his team mates. He looked at the flannel that Kurama gave up for her and his thoughts no longer wavered.

Ai was a stranger to him but deep inside he could feel that she would be something special.

"Okay, Kuwabara, you can do this!" he coached himself and placed his hands on her once again. Images of the future suddenly flooded his vision in rapid succession. He could briefly see all of the memories that he would have with her, the things that she will say that will make him laugh, the moments that she will share with them, and Kurama's growing love for her. And all in the same time as his heart rose with compassion and content anticipation for the change that she will erupt in the life of his friend, it dropped in a pool of pity.

Tears were caught between his eyes and the visions that he just witnessed regarding Ai. He almost wanted to save everyone the pain of her existence but shook the thought out of his head. He channeled his energy through his hands and slowly began to feed it into her.

* * *

"Die." demanded Hiei. He punched into the tree with flames encircling his fist but it proved inefficient. He quickly withdrew. More giant roots continued to lift and push forward. Blue orbs lifted from out of the ground. The souls of the dead being released from the breaking soil. Quiet moans suffocated into the air.

"If we don't stop her soon she'll reach the town!" Yusuke dodged a giant trunk that swung itself at him.

Kurama stood at the base of the tree, swaying with each step that the giant tree made. He looked up into the brush of the tree and could see a red orb softly throbbing. The red light reminded him of the lychee that hung from the tree on the hill.

Kurama began to scale the moving tree. He effortlessly made his way to the orb that hid behind the wobbling leaves. A light clear film layered over the orb that he quickly ripped off and tossed into the wind.

"Hiei!" called Kurama.

Hiei immediately jumped to Kurama's side and examined the foreign object protruding out of the wood.

"Hey, what's going on up there?!" Yusuke shouted up. He squinted his eyes to get a better look.

"Is this her life source?" asked Hiei

Kurama looked at the item suspiciously, "There is only one way to find out."

"Hn." Hiei pointed his sword then stabbed it directly into the red orb. It exploded and shattered like glass at the tip of his sword.

The tree immediately halted and slumped, it swayed and jerked to the right before completely collapsing on it's side.

Yusuke dodged the falling branches the best he could and shielded himself with his arms against the dust that lifted at the tree's impact. Kurama and Hiei jumped out of the tree the moment it wavered off foot and found safe ground to watch it fall.

The tree began to shrivel and shrink. It's arms and roots retracted into the trunk until only two of each laid out. The shrub at the top withered into the shape of The Mistress' hair and her small taut face, now old and shriveled like the dead trees around her, appeared within the transforming tree.

Yusuke squinted his eyes to keep out the dust that floated around as he approached the hybrid creature. He looked down at The Mistress and her disgusting half human half tree body. His eyebrows raised at the irony of the situation.

"I thought you were going to kill us?" he said with a smirk at the tip of his lips. He brushed his hair back out of his face and over his head.

She looked up at him and coughed up blood that only fell back into her mouth. She gurgled it inside her cheeks to keep it from falling back into her throat but the contents blocked her from breathing.

He watched her in silence as her body slowly began to harden and crack. Her skin browning and wrinkling at the sides. Her fingers planted into the grown and her hair crumpled like compost into the soil. Her eyes held no life and began to rot at a rapid rate; they sunk into her wooden skull and disappeared into a pile of dust.

* * *

Ai gasped and shot up in the bed. Her hair was matted to the back of her head and to the back of her neck in an uneven line. She placed her hands in her lap and looked at the bed that she sat in. The sheets were white and crisp against her skin and they smelled soft and clean.

"Ah, you've awaken." said Kurama, turning removing a white plug from his ear. He was listening to music and typing a grant proposal for his shop at his desk. A small amount of light leaked through his curtains and shined yellow and orange on his face. He smiled at her and patiently waited for her to collect herself.

She brushed her hair away from her face and smiled shyly. Her brows closed together as she began to recall her most recent events. Kurama could see the trouble in her face.

He got up from his office chair and sat at the edge of the bed near her side. He grabbed a cup of water off of the nightstand and handed it to her. She accepted his offer and took a drink of the liquid. It was refreshing against her lips and brought a small bit of color back into her face.

Kurama explained the events to her the best he could without being biased about Lema's outcome and leaving out the small bit about the flannel button up. Unfortunately, under Kuwabara's care, Ai's remains disappeared without a trace. Even with the detectives amazing tracking abilities they were not able to find the wrap that Kurama said was beside Kuwabara. Hearing this news, Ai's face only showed more trouble and worry, just as Kurama feared.

"There are only two more things left to do, now" said Kurama, wanting to lift her spirits. It never occurred to him how much he disliked being the bearer of bad news until he saw her face. One of the things that he enjoyed the most about Ai was her resilience and happy attitude. He didn't want to be the one to take that away from her but instead bestow it upon her.

She looked at him with curious eyes, truly oblivious.

"First" he lifted a finger, "Koenma, King of the Spirit World, would like to meet you." He smiled at the sudden rise of her eyebrows and grin that she couldn't suppress.

She clamped her hands over his and he twitched slightly surprised at her intimacy. "Oh, really?! I get to see the Spirit World?!"

Kurama chuckled and allowed her to squeeze his hands. They felt warm even though hers were cold. He allowed his to heat hers in the hold and stopped himself from pulling away. His heart was pounding quicker than a normal demon's heart should be; it made it a little difficult for him to maintain his composure the closer she got to him. His logic explained that it must be the effects of her bead within him.

"This is fantastic! What could be better than that? Are we going right now, or do we have to do the other thing first? What is the other thing?" her questions shot at him quickly, her sentences squeezing together like their hands.

Her enthusiasm was amusing but the rush that his body unwillingly felt when she touched him was beginning to be more than he could bare. He slowly unfolded her hands from his, feeling the comfortable and familiar feeling of loneliness return. It was bittersweet.

"Lastly" he raised two fingers and diddled them back and forth before mimicking a pair of shears and playfully "cutting" a piece of her hair between his fingers. "a haircut."

Ai sat in the middle of the balcony on a high stool with a white cutting cape wrapped around her like a poncho. She mingled her fingers together beneath the white sheet nervously as Kurama combed out her hair with black plastic teeth. Her hair shined and was a healthy black but was chopped and split at the ends. It made a noticeably uneven seam at her back.

"Are you ready?" asked Kurama, separating the top half of her hair from the first layer.

She only nodded her head and bit her bottom lip.

Kurama smiled at her irresolute response and began to cut her hair. Black strands of hair fell to the floor then pushed themselves through the gaps in the fence and into the world with the wind.

Kurama cut carefully and decisively; he has cut his step-brother's hair before but it was admittedly different cutting Ai's hair. The last thing that he wanted to do was to cut her hair too short or to cut it in a way that would make her feel any lesser than herself. He would stop frequently throughout the procedure to ask if she was okay but she simply asked him to continue each time.

He pushed her head down gently and she bent her neck obediently.

He softly smoothed his hand over the nape of her neck to brush off individual strands of hair and exposed clear and soft skin. His fingers caressed down her neck to the round of her shoulders, tickling her slightly. Kurama wanted to touch it more. He wanted to lean down and gently press his lips against it and have a taste of her. He imagined that it would taste sweet and linger within his mouth for days. The temptation grew within his throat, making his hands tremble slightly. Just once, once would be enough to calm this urge that festered at the tip of his tongue. Her skin held his stare for a while, holding his thoughts and feeding him obsession. It taunted him and pleaded for him to come closer, to bring his lips and press them hard against the small round bone that showed through her skin.

"Kurama?"

Her voice shattered his thoughts and brought him back to reality. She turned around and looked at him with her brown eyes. "Did you finish?" she asked, blinking to adjust her eyes.

"Not quite." said Kurama, turning her back around and continuing to cut her hair.

He evened out the back of her hair and cut it into three layers. The longest layer he was able to leave her , without keeping any evidence of the rest being bluntly cut off of her, was slightly above her collar bone. The front of her hair naturally fell in front of her face. He wanted to cut it shorter and give her a fringe but would only do it if she asked.

She shook her head and brushed herself off with a towel, her head feeling lighter. She combed her fingers through her new haircut and nervously looked at Kurama. Her cheeks turned red.

"Does it look okay?" she asked shyly.

He held up a mirror in her direction "See for yourself."

Her nervousness slowly transformed into a smile and tears began to build in her eyes. She walked to Kurama and lowered the mirror to look at his face.

He blinked out of confusion and looked to her for an explanation.

She rubbed her eyes dry of the tears, her smile a little childish. "Thank you." she said and bit her bottom lip to stop herself from crying.

Ai looked much younger to Kurama with her hair short. He thought that she was beautiful and alluring to begin with but her vulnerability and compassion made her glow before him. He wanted to reach out and touch her to make sure that she was real, even though he already knew that she was. That same temptation that he felt staring at the back of her neck began to tingle at the tips of his fingers. He placed his hands in his pockets.

He liked the way she bit her lip like that, the way that half of it sucked behind her teeth and the other half turned pink and lush with blood. He has seen her do it a few times before, but it looked enticing in this moment that they were sharing.

Lema's words crept behind his ears and into his head. He wondered if she did that when she was seducing men to giving up their souls. The thought made him take a step back and reminded him of who she was.

"You're welcome.." Kurama said, his enthusiasm fading with each sound.

The remaining pieces of cut hair swirled together into black web like knots and tumbled away.


	10. His Favorite Color, My Future

The forest chirped with lively birds and the plants swayed to a soft melody that blew in the wind. There was no fog or hazy vapor that spread throughout the green life. Since the death of The Mistress, the atmosphere completely changed.

Only small traces remained as evidence of the battle that occurred between the detectives and the demons of the undead but that was more than enough for Taoist Jang to picture the events in his head.

"Sifu! I sense a negative energy near but it is slowly leaving us!"

"Let us continue with caution, then."

The two men found Lema's incapacitated state within the tree. A majority of her body was disabled by the tree that was still growing and consuming her. Her eyes were hidden and only her lower lip was exposed from the bark along with a hand frozen in the air.

The bald headed monk clumsily removed a spiritual tag from his pouch and made a ridiculous pose on one foot as he held it up in the air. "This is the source, shall we release her, Sifu?!" he asked excitedly, almost loosing balance as he spoke.

The older man stroked his long pointed beard and examined the tree with squinted eyes. He made a loud and thoughtful humming noise.

"Tell us your name, Di fu ling ("Earth-bound spirit"), and we shall grant you reincarnation."

Lema's lower lip quivered slightly as a smirk curved its way at the corner of her mouth. She pushed a fang out and obediently whispered her name with confidence.

Jang rested a hand on his young apprentice's shoulder to stop him from gasping loudly at the sound of her name.

"We've found one, Sifu! The other three must be near as well!" With trembling fingers he anxiously shuffled through his bag but was stopped by a firm and old hand from his master. He looked at him puzzled but ceased his actions dutifully.

"Your master is dead, Lema. Where are your associate agents?"

His voice was solid but questioned her with placidity. This was not the first time that he has met Lema. Lema, in many ways, was the leader of the terrible quartet and Taoist Jang was well aware of this. He has been tracing The Mistress and her _elite team_ for many years after they moved out of China. It was a constant battle to try and separate the girls from each other so that he could target their weaknesses and slowly pick them off but by the time he had found an appropriate apprentice to aide him The Mistress and the graves ,of her agents that she protected, were no longer there.

"Lina and Alma are gone~" she howled with tears rubbing against the tough skin of the tree. Her face was numb but the tears were cold against her shut in cheeks.

Jang sighed and murmured a silent prayer for their woeful release and wished them a peaceful rest for they will never see the light of life again. Jang, excluding The Mistress, had no intentions of hurting the spirits. He knew that they were there unwillingly and that they had only become creatures of their habitat. His main objective was to bring these spirits relief and have them rightfully reincarnated.

"And the other.."

"Betrayer!" she said spitefully with a sudden outrage. Her tears dried and the tree constricted tighter around her as she tried to pull away. "She shares her bead with scum demons and ignorant humans for release, too afraid of actual death!" Her lips became taut as she spat the words and they began to chafe and crack. They pulled back so tightly that small balls of blood appeared between the peeling skin. She sucked it in but the moisture quickly evaporated off.

Taoist Jang stroked his beard again and nodded. Then, in one swift motion he slapped a rectangular sheet, that he pulled from beneath the white of his beard, on her lips and sealed it shut. His hands traced along the black ink that wrote ancient Chinese spells for freedom.

Lema laughed as loudly as the tree would allow. It worked like quicksand around her and fought to hold her against the powerful pull into the sky. The tree encased her hand and muffled her laughter. The plant completely consumed her.

A small yellow light shined from within the tree and slowly faded in and out as it floated straight through the wooden casket and into the sky like a single bubble. It eventually disappeared into the distance but Taoist Jang knew where it was and where it was going to be.

"That was beautiful, Sifu!" cheered the bald apprentice.

Jang raised a hand to silence him as he pulled out two vials from behind his beard. "Zhanshi!" he said with a graceful turn.

Zhanshi placed a hand on his bald head and bowed in respect for his master. "Yes, Sifu!"

"Find Ai and give her these vials."

"But, Sifu she-"

Jang smacked his hand against the backside of Zhanshi's head. "We saves souls from becoming abominations! You **will** give her the choice."

Zhanshi quietly held his hands out and Jang placed the vials in his open hands. One was blue and the other was red. They glowed within the glass containers and like magical butterflies yellow orbs sparked inside. Zhanshi stared at them in wonder before pocketing them quickly in his satchel eagerly accepting his new mission.

Taoist Jang held out Ai's remains that were wrapped inside of her faded dress from within his large sleeves and held it to Zhanshi.

Zhanshi leaned forward and smelled inside the knot of her dress like a hunting dog. He inhaled dirt along with the essence of her spirit that fumed out of the pores in the marrow. The smell concentrated into his nose and to his head.

He stood up and gave a final bow to Jang before turning around quickly and running towards the city below the forest. He tripped over a log but recovered and continued on his way.

Taoist Jang shook his head and tucked his hands beneath his sleeves.

* * *

"Thanks for waiting for me!"

Ai nodded and smiled contently as she walked besides Juri.

Juri had her hair tied up in a ponytail today. It swung behind her in short and quick swishes. All of the black that she wore made the heat attach to her like white on rice, so she needed the small relief of a gentle breeze against her neck to stay cool.

Juri ruffled the back of Ai's hair playfully. "I like the hair cut, it's cute" she made a gagging noise then laughed. She preferred her ethereal look that the long hair gave Ai but she wasn't going to question her choice. It was obvious that they had separate taste in style.

Ai blushed and smoothed the back of her hair. She replayed the memories of Kurama combing through her hair and cutting off her length in her mind and felt weight fall off her shoulders. It was more of a relief than she had ever thought it would be.

"Juri, what does it mean when you see someone's eyes in your dream?" the blush was still high on her olive cheeks.

"Hmm?" Juri leaned her face in closer to Ai's and squinted an eye at her. "What do you mea~n?"

Ai scrunched her nose and took a few steps a head of her. "I mean when you can only see their eyes."

Juri rubbed her chin. "That sounds strange.." she said with a serious tone. Ai turned around with her eyes big.

Juri stood in place and looked at her feet. She looked thoughtfully at the ground before rearing her head up quickly and smiling. "Just kidding! I don't know but I do have a book that we can look in and it could tell us."

Ai pouted and made a gentle smack against Juri's arm in disappointment. "You scared me." she said and continued their walk. Juri had to quicken her pace to catch up to Ai's quickly retreating form.

"Hey, Ai! Where are we going? You can't possibly want pizza again, could you?"

Ai rested her hand on her stomach and frowned. "I could always eat pizza.." she made a face and looked at Juri "but we are going to a flower shop."

"..Oh" Juri was confused but followed along Ai who eventually lead her to the side alley to the store that Kurama worked at.

Juri placed her hand on her chest and crept along the walls with Ai who navigated the alley like a veteran. She stood on a crate and peered inside a window to Kurama's shop.

Juri shook Ai's leg frantically and begged her to climb down. "Ai, what are you doing?! Shuichi is your roommate. Just go inside!" she whispered harshly, she felt as if she was going to have a heart attack.

Ai turned around and made a threatening face to Juri then put a finger to her lips. "Shh! I do this all the time!"

Juri looked around cautiously before stepping on the crate besides Ai and peering in with her, the guilt slowly leaving.

Kurama flipped casually through a magazine when the bell above the door chimed. He looked up and caught his breath quickly at the sight of his customer.

Maya, his childhood infatuation turned wrong, walked in. Her hair was put up in a loose bun and her summer dress was a nice mint color that complemented against her pale skin. She looked up at Kurama with big brown eyes and approached with a shy smile on her face.

"Hello, Shuichi. It's nice to see you again." she said with a friendly tone.

Kurama thought that he could see a glimmer of familiarity in her eyes but it was only the sun reflecting off a the shiny surface of a gardening tool. She took a step back and squinted her eyes then laughed bashfully.

"I'm sorry. The sun is in my eyes." she lifted a hand to shield her eyes and Kurama quickly removed the tool and placed it beneath his register counter.

"No, I'm sorry. You must be here for your order." He turned around and grabbed a basket of flowers that sat behind on the opposite counter.

She removed cash from her purse and placed it on the counter with a few coins.. Kurama handed her the basket of flowers and slid the money back over the counter in her direction with a smile.

"It's on the house." he said and crossed his arms to show that he was not going to accept her payment.

She blushed brightly and held tightly onto her basket of flowers, trembling slightly by his sudden response.

Ai turned to Juri and produced a gag that she had learned from her earlier that evening. Juri covered her mouth with her hands and watched inventively.

"But- I- surely there is something that I can do to repay you..?" she looked away, embarrassed.

Kurama hummed thoughtfully then placed his crossed arms on the table and leaned forward. He looked at her with bright eyes and shook his head.

"I'm afraid not Miss Kitajima. You've been a customer for an exceptional amount of time and you're a former classmate of mine. Please, think of it as a gift."

Maya looked at him and felt a strange attraction to him but only smiled it away. She bowed, took her basket and left feeling oddly connected to him.

"Oh my gosh! Did you see that?" Juri stepped down from the crate with her hand on her head. She shook her head and her eyes looked bugged beneath her dark makeup.

Ai jumped off of the crate after her with a concerned look on her face. She bit her lip.

"You should go in there next time and make sure they don't hook up." She put a hand on her hip and stood slightly crooked.

Ai shook her head and saw Maya leaving through the shop at the end of the alley. Her mint dress flowing behind her legs as she walked and carried the giant basket over her stomach.

"What is _hook up_? You mean to _mate?" _Ai didn't mention that she saw Maya walk by to Juri. She didn't want to be confrontational without any real reason besides her curiosity. Although, she may have to further investigate to ensure that Kurama's intentions with Maya don't break one of her conditions. It would be a shame for everything to go down the drain so soon after being lifted from The Mistress' curse.

Juri's face turned red and she didn't quite know what to say. Ai's word choice was some what barbaric and raw that she suddenly remembered that Ai wasn't as familiar with the modern world as she is.

"You don't have to say it like that! I mean like kissing and . . . you _know_. The stuff that comes after that. Ah! Actually I have a book on it if you would-"

Ai turned her back to Juri and looked up at the window to Kurama's shop. "He wouldn't do that. I don't think he would ..."

Ai looked over her shoulder at Juri who was awkwardly standing behind her in an uncomfortable bubble of her own thoughts.

"Let's go."

* * *

Ai and Juri had a stroll along the park near her university before Juri had to leave to meet with her classmates for a group project. Juri tried to explain the assignment to her before she left but gave up half way figuring the science was a little over her head. She was years in behind on technology and it made it difficult for Juri to make Ai relate to the world that she is now living in. Even though, Juri only wanted to hear how life was like in Ai's world, she was constantly shut down and redirected with other questions.

The shadows passed over Ai's face in smooth waves across her face and neck. They patterned her body with organic shapes and temporarily tattooed her like a coy fish. And like the giant blobs that crossed over her skin her thoughts were in an unorganized mess. She wanted to concentrate on how she could properly assimilate after Kurama is fully healed and knowing that she has to meet with Koenma tomorrow didn't help calm her nerves.

Not to mention, for the thirty minutes that she has been laying down a man has been watching her from a tree. She was fully awae. She wasn't intimidated or cautious of him but he posed as a distraction. It amused her at how exposed he was and yet he only watched her from a distance. She wondered when, if he planned to, attack and why. The situation was reminiscent of her days in China when she was constantly on the run from many exorcists. The memory made her assume that this was no different, and she was right.

Ai sat up and pointed her finger at the tree that he was perched in and smiled when he clumsily fell out of it and hit his head on the floor.

Zhanshi quickly recovered and dusted himself off then took a fighting stance. He was too far away for anyone to make a connection that he was associated with her which made him only look like a bald weirdo in the middle of the park. Ai laughed. His ridiculous nature was a big clue that he was no master and he was nervous, it made Ai feel superior over his inexperience. She wondered if he knew who she was.

He stood there for a while before looking around and plopping his arms down in defeat. He casually walked over to her with his hung head.

"Please don't tell my Sifu." he said with his cheeks burning.

Ai ducked her lips out amused and tapped her finger against her knee.

"Who is your Sifu, young man?"

She felt comfortable and in her element as she held the wheel of power around his head. The attire that the man was in almost transformed their environment to the familiar lands of China in Ai's head but she knew better.

"Master Taoist Jang!" he said with his head shooting up in respect as he saluted to an invisible image of the old man.

"Oh~" Ai recognized the name as the most persistent exorcist that ever perused The Mistress and her agents. It was like a police detective following an illegal troupe of circus freaks or a movie that Ai recently watched with Juri: "_Catch Me if You Can"_. It has been a while since she has ever seen him but she wasn't threatened at the mention of his name either. She has had many nights where they conversed before he tried to stop her from stealing souls, he never succeeded obviously. "I assume he wants you to _try_ to exorcise me. Are you a good apprentice? Maybe he is trying to send you to your death-"

The bald boy raised a fist and Ai instinctively coward behind her arms and waited for the impact but his fist remained frozen before her. He looked at her and lowered his hand out of surprise from her reaction. It was the first time he has ever seen a ghost flinch at a threatening remark that he didn't actually intend on following through with. It surprised him more that she behaved so vulnerable suddenly, instead of attacking back when she was supposedly a notorious behemoth always out for blood.

"Look here, _Di fu ling_." He copied his masters demeanor and tried his best to appear serious although his face was childish and young. "Master Jang wanted me to deliver these two you." He showed her the two vials that rested in the palm of his hand. They reflected against each other in his hand in a soft blue and red light.

Ai dropped her arms and looked at the contained liquid in Zhanshi's hand. The vials were small and she could see the gold lights flickering within the colored liquids. She looked at Zhanshi curiously and reached out to grab one but he quickly moved them out of her reach.

"You can only take one. One will slowly help you remember your unfortunate death thus releasing you of your abominable life and the other will forever close you, unable to reincarnate. If you choose the latter then Master Jang and I will forever hunt you!"

Ai's lips curled up mischievously and held out her hand. "I will take the latter."

Zhanshi's face turned red. Her face was so pure but her actions and choices made him know otherwise.

He handed her both of the vials and took a step back. "I wont tell you which one is which Di fu ling."

Ai frowned and threw a handful of grass at him but it only fluttered in the air and made it half way until it swooshed away with the wind. "Master Jang wont appreciate this, tell me at once!" she stared at the young man sternly.

His hands trembled slightly at the thought of the backlash that he will receive if his master found out about his foolish behavior but his bias against Ai was too strong for him to eat his words. He clenched his hands into fists to subdue his shaking and took more steps back.

"I wont and Master Jang will be proud of me! We will find you and properly exorcize you from this world!"

He turned around quickly and ran away as fast as he could. His knees were shaking as he ran and as soon as he was out of sight he tripped over his own feet.

Ai looked at the two containers in her hand.

* * *

After watering the plants and making sure that the temperature was just right in the green room Kurama closed up his shop. He flipped the door sign from Open to Closed then locked the door.

He put a hand in his pocket and made his way home, staring at all of the interesting items that were on sale through the glass windows. He noticed an increase in floral pattern dresses this season.

Kurama walked passed a small boutique and made a double take before completely stopping to take a look at the dress in the window.

It was simple. Clean and white with floral embroidery fringe over a thinner layer of cotton completed with short sleeves. It looked nice on the mannequin as well as the small red flats that were sitting besides the dress as a suggestion by the salesman.

He looked at it with a pensive face, contemplating whether or not to buy the outfit. He eyed the red shoes and thought about how dirty Ai's white ones have become. They were stained green at the sides from walking in the forest and had blotches of dirt at the tip. He remembered that Yusuke made a comment about them one their way home after the battle.

Without a further thought, Kurama walked into the store.

* * *

The clock ticking was the only noise in the room as Ai stared at the two vials of liquid. They laid still on the desk with bubbles floating at the rim of the glass that looked like eyes staring up at her. She poked the blue vial and it swayed slightly in place like a metronome, eventually stopping. The blue was pure and reminded her of Alma's eyes. It hurt to look into it and brought back too many memories which caused her to shift her gaze over to the red mixture. The flickering gold specks looked brighter than they did in the blue one and reminded her of summer.

She rubbed her finger against the smooth glass and watched a bubble float from the torso of the container to the rim of the cork and pop ,releasing it's air. More bubbles appeared and repeated the process.

She lifted the vial between her fingers and pressed it against her lips. She closed her eyes, it was smooth against her. The red was deep. Deep like Kurama's eyes and red like his hair, she thought pressing it harder against her lips. She wondered if it was his favorite color and if his hair has always been that red.

Roses filled her senses and she could see his eyes again. They appeared so clearly in her mind, so bright and green. It made her smile. She was smiling against the glass, thinking about him; she thought about the night they ate pizza, the morning he surprised her in the tree; his hand wrapped around hers when she needed his warmth. She slowly opened her eyes and her smile was replaced with a small frown. It has only been a few hours but she actually missed him. The uncomfortable thought of him watching Maya made her stomach hurt.

She removed the lid from the clear container containing the red liquid. It actually smelled quite nice to her as she brought it closer to her lips. The glass rim rubbed against her bottom lip as she contemplated it further.

"Only one way to find out..." she whispered, hoping that it was what she wanted.

In one swoop she drank from the container, emptying it of the red liquid.

She closed her eyes and felt it slither down inside of her. The golden specks flapped against the inside of her skin and she could feel it crawling to the back of her head. It felt strange but nothing hurt. She looked at her hands and examined herself briefly when she heard the door in the living room open and close. Kurama came home.

She quickly grabbed the remaining vial and skittered across the hallway into the bathroom and emptied it into the sink. With both containers in her hand she chucked them out the window. She wiped her hands clean on her dress then walked out of the bathroom and entered the living room where Kurama was laying a box of pizza down on the small table surrounded by the sofa.

Her face lit up and Kurama smiled at her, receiving the exact response that he wanted. Seeing her smile was contagious. Much like a yawn, once he saw her do it, his body responded by doing the same. It felt nice.

"I thought that we could enjoy some pizza." he sat down on the sofa and bent a leg over the other then placed his hands on his knee.

Ai clapped her hands and skipped over to have a seat besides him.

Kurama opened the top to the pizza box and steam escaped into the room. Kurama didn't care too much for the food but he knew that Ai enjoyed it, especially pepperoni – which he ordered. He actually, wasn't too particularly hungry.

Ai grabbed a piece of pizza and greedily bit into the tip and slowly pulled it away with her teeth grasping tightly to the attached cheese. It strung from her teeth to the middle of the pizza until it broke off from thinning out too far.

She laughed and Kurama chuckled at her playfulness. He took a drink of water then cleared his voice, waiting for a moment to interrupt her meal.

"Ai, are you nervous to speak with Koenma tomorrow?"

She looked over at him with a hand over her mouth, covering her rapid mastication so that she could speak without offending him with the contents in her mouth.

She nodded her head then licked her lips before dropping her hand. "Yes, actually I'm a little scared." She swallowed.

Kurama closed his eyes and tilted his head down slightly before looking back to her with a gentle smile. "Don't be. I'll be with you, and Koenma is a very understanding . . .person."

She nodded again "I was going to ask you today but-"

"Oh, yes. You should come into the shop sometime." He looked at her with amused and with a playful glint in his eyes. "It's a little difficult to ask questions through a brick wall in the alley."

Ai's face turned red and she immediately turned her back to him from embarrassment. Her heart beat loudly and she felt slightly ashamed for being caught. She wondered how many times he knew she was there, perhaps since the first week she met him?! She coughed and almost choked on cheese at the thought.

"It's a little lonely in there, I would immensely enjoy your company anytime, Ai. As a matter of fact, you should help me plant a new flower this week."

. . .

* * *

**EXTRA: A short.**

Ai walked into the alley cautiously with a blanket draping over her head.

It's the day that she is to meet with Koenma but she has to wait for Kurama to get out of work first. Although he plans on closing his shop early, it still needed to be open for some time. The wait in between, although small, was building too much anxiety within her. She would really just like to go and meet the fellow and with Juri at school she didn't have much to do. The conversation last night with Kurama made her uncomfortable but she wasn't going to break that easily. The game was on and she was determined to win.

She looked right, then left, then right, then left again before stepping on the crate and peering into the window. She peeked up but only saw a green and white plaid curtain covering the inside to the store. She made a face and a black cloud stormed over her. And just like that – Kurama: One, Ai: Zero.

Kurama chuckled behind the counter.

"What's so funny?" asked Maya, looking up from her order form.

Kurama looked behind him at the plaid curtain then back to his customer with a smile. "I apologize, the shop is a little haunted." He chuckled again and Maya looked at him confused. She shrugged her shoulders and looked back down at her order form.


	11. Misunderstanding's Rendezvous Point

Ai sat on the step to Kurama's apartment and traced a finger against the cracks in the cement. The black crooked lines were thin but traveled from one plaque to the other. They looked like seams on a quilt.

She could hear Yusuke and Kuwabara in the distance, their voices getting louder and clearer as they came closer. She heard an unfamiliar voice among them, that of a woman's, which made her look up curiously.

The group rounded the corner and Yusuke spotted Ai immediately. He grinned and waved to her while nudging Kuwabara in the side. Kuwabara looked away from the girl accompanying them and smiled awkwardly at Ai.

"Hey, what's up girl?!" greeted Yusuke. He placed an arm around the brown haired girl who had a friendly smile on her face.

Ai waved back but didn't get up from the step to initiate a friendly hug like she does with Juri.

Kuwabara looked at the watch around his wrist "What time did Kurama say that he was going to meet us, are we early or somethin'?"

Yusuke raised a brow at Kuwabara "Why? Afraid Ai is going to eat your soul before he gets back?" he laughed and Ai's lips became taut but she smiled awkwardly.

The brown haired girl pinched Yusuke's hand till he removed it around her neck. She sighed and then smiled back at Ai like she did before Yusuke's comment and held out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Keiko. We haven't met yet but I think you're the one that borrowed my clothes a while back. I hope they fit you okay."

Ai stood up to shake her hand and then smiled with a nod. "Yes, I am. I'm Ai. It's nice to meet you."

Keiko's smile widened as she got a look at what Ai was wearing. " I see you are wearing something even cuter now!"

Ai looked down at herself and blushed. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "It was waiting for me when I woke up, next to these shoes. I think Kurama bought them for me." Her smile was small.

It was true. She woke up that morning and saw the dress hanging off of her door knob and beneath it was a pair of red flats. There was also a bag of more casual clothing that sat besides her door. The dress was the only article of clothing that was outside of the bag so she assumed that he intended for her to wear that first.

Keiko gasped and grabbed Ai's hands. "That's so sweet! Are you two an item?"

Yusuke and Kuwabara roared into laughter. They tried to mumble out some words between their hysterics but it only came out inaudible. Yusuke pointed a finger at Keiko as if she was the butt of a joke or he was looking at the results of a great prank. Keiko put her hands on her hips and fumed.

Ai looked at Keiko confused by the language. "An item?" her hand touched her chest "We are linked"

Yusuke and Kuwabara stopped laughing and looked at Ai with dumbstruck faces. Keiko's eyes grew wide with anticipation.

"I gave him my precious bead, and so we are connected. I'm sure sometimes he gets annoyed being around me so much because I eat a lot but I think he will stick with me. I'm just so hungry all the time since I gave it to him."

Ai suddenly got a brilliant idea. "Maybe we should get pizza while we wait for him?"

Keiko's face turned bright red. She couldn't believe what this alien had just said out loud and so casually. It all began to connect and make sense to her in a matter of seconds. They lived together, she gave him _her precious bead_, he buys her clothing, and food whenever she wants it, there was only one explanation.

"You're pr-pre-preg-?" Her finger trembled as she pointed at her.

Yusuke quickly put a hand over her mouth. "No! It's not like that! It's not what you're thinking Keiko. Geez, you're so perverted." She looked at him dazed and confused.

Unfortunately, Yusuke only has so many hands and wasn't able to stop Kuwabara from vocalizing his misunderstanding as well.

"So that's why you live with him!" he laughed. "Hey I guess it wasn't the bartender with him that night, Huh Yusuke?!"

Keiko shook her head away from Yusuke's hand and glared at him. "What bartender?"

Yusuke raised his hands in defeat. It was getting a little too crazy to defend Kurama's side and his own problems started to unravel into a muddy mess.

"Keiko, no. Well, you see. We had a few drinks- and -"

"Yusuke!" she pinched him under his arm and turned her back to him.

He rubbed his arm "Aw, C'mon Keiko. You didn't even listen."

"I don't care!" she huffed.

Kuwabara giggled then settled it out with a sigh and looked at Ai with a gleam in his eye. "Ah, young love. I don't pity them at all you know? Me and my darling Yukina are nothing like them." he snickered as he pulled his phone out from his pocket and slid his finger around the screen to navigate to his photos. He faced it towards Ai, who eagerly looked onto the bright screen, and showed her pictures of Yukina.

"Oh, she is so beautiful." said Ai.

"Yes, she is. And maybe one day she will give me her _precious bead_.." he looked out into the distance with glossy eyes.

"Oh, is she a ghost too?"

Kuwabara's face twisted. "What? No way! She's so soft and warm.."

Ai slipped her hand beneath Kuwabara's shirt and touched the skin on his back. He immediately jumped away with a yelp of surprise and did a strange dance while scratching at his back.

"Ah! So cold!"

She laughed at his fancy footwork then held her hands out and tilted her head to the side. She groaned and reached out for him.

"Don't touch me with your anemic hands! Gah~!" He clumsily ran from her in the small open area."Stop! I'll buy you pizza!"

Ai immediately perked her head up and withdrew her hands. She jumped excitedly and bit her bottom lip. "Okay! But first I -"

"Need to see Koenma" interrupted Kurama. He brushed pieces of his hair out of his face and smiled at his friends as he approached the group.

Keiko turned her back to Yusuke once again to look at Kurama.

She looked from him to Ai and her face her red face turned pale. The misunderstanding still mixed in her mind.

" This is too much. Tell Koenma and Botan I said 'Hi'." she turned to Yusuke with a stern look. "We will finish this conversation another day." She left with a hand on her cheek, embarrassed and flushed by inappropriate thoughts.

Yusuke crossed his arms and looked away. "Hmph, whatever."

Kurama watched her leave slightly confused by her attitude. "Angry with Yusuke, I presume." he commented to Kuwabara then looked over to Ai. He smiled at the sight of her.

The dress fit nicely on her and it looked just as he imagined it would. It covered her thighs but was higher than the navy blue dress that she wore before. The embroidery pattern was subtle but looked like fragile silk and lace against her skin. At the end of her long and slender legs were the red flat shoes that brought out and completed the outfit. It was perfect, with the exception of his plaid shirt still hanging loosely around her shoulders. The shirt covered her arms and shielded them from the sun. It looked clean against the white of her dress but he didn't intend for her to wear it with the clothing he bought her. Even so, a fleeting rush of pride and satisfaction brushed the inside of his stomach at the sight of her but he said nothing.

"Let's get this show on the road" sighed Yusuke, upset by his small quarrel with Keiko. He pulled out his compact communicator and Botan's face appeared on the oval screen. After a small conversation she opened a portal for them.

"You'll do fine." reassured Kurama. He gave Ai a light push on her back and she stepped through the portal after the two boys.

* * *

They reappeared within the middle of Koenma's office. It was much bigger now since the forceful leave of his father. He took over a larger office and yet it still seemed like it wasn't enough room for all of his paper work.

Koenma slammed a large stamp onto a pile of papers before looking up at his guests.

"Oh, it's good to see you again, former detectives." he said with his pacifier sucking in and out of his mouth.

"Yeah, yeah. Hey look, I brought the ghost – I mean Ai. She's right here." He took a step to the side and as if on cue the other two boys parted as well so that she was standing in the middle.

She tried to stand confidently but couldn't truly look Koenma in the face. She hadn't even realized that he was in a toddler body until he called her name.

Her brows furrowed and her face twisted. A cough erupted inside her throat but her lips remained closed.

"...Hehe.." She caught her laughter before it could come out more than a whisper then forced a serious face.

Koenma's eye twitched but he composed himself and cleared his throat.

"Ai, this is actually a little unusual. It appears I don't have a file on you.." He folded his small chubby fingers within each other and leaned onto the table. "Thankfully, Yusuke informed me about the events that took place a few days ago and I have to say that I am impressed. You and that tree demon remained illusive for a number of years. I can only assume you are not native to Japan. Which brings me to my first question. How and why did you come here?"

She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and bit her lip. She glanced at Kurama and he nodded to her, urging her to answer the question.

"For as long as I can remember, I have served The Mistress. My body was buried beneath her tree which enslaved me to her ways. I – We became too … notorious to continue living in China. So, she traveled beneath the earth, taking all of our graves with her. She eventually settled in the forest near the city.."

Koenma listened with his eyes closed then opened them to look at a calendar at the corner of his desk.

"And you adapted to the environment using the same methods that you did there?"

She nodded her head. The questions made her a little uncomfortable but she trusted Kurama's words and remained calm.

His finger tapped on a small square date, "that explains why there were so many sudden disappearances." he said to himself but everyone heard. He let out a sigh then looked over to his Ogre secretary.

"George, call the guards and have her arrested until I speak with Enki."

Ai immediately turned to Kurama who made a defensive advance. Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at each other with their jaws dragging on the floor.

"Did I just hear that right?" said Kuwabara, smacking the side of his head with his hand as if he was emptying water from his ear.

"Koenma, if I may, Ai wasn't sent to the spirit world when she died. I doubt that she, as well as the others that were enslaved by The Mistress, had any idea about the changes that Enki implemented since his rule of the Makai."

The toddler rubbed his chin. "That may be true Kurama but unfortunately, I must follow protocol. She needs to wait for her court appearance with a representative for Enki."

Two ogres, dressed in black gear came into the room. Koenma nodded his head in Ai's direction and the demons obediently approached her.

Kurama stood between them and Ai protectively. He looked at the guards who became hesitant by his intimidating demeanor.

Ai rubbed the back of her head. Sharp fingers pinched at the lining of her skull that shot vibrations down her spine. She shivered.

Kurama briefly glanced at her before continuing. "Perhaps, Yusuke forgot to mention that she saved me from imminent death."

Koenma lifted a hand to halt his guards "Oh~? She did?"

"Yes, her power source resides within me and is slowly healing me until I am back to optimum health. There are conditions that come with this, though." He began to explain.

Ai touched the back of her head. She could see Kurama's mouth moving but she wasn't able to hear anything that he was saying. The only sound that reached her ears was her own breathing and the incessant ringing of bells. No matter how much she inhaled she felt like she couldn't get enough air. She looked around the room, her vision becoming sharp;Yusuke's lips moved, Kuwabara's jaws chomped, and Koenma made a few gestures with his hands as he spoke. She could see Kuwabara finger a loose seam around his pocket then the small threads that made up the thin material.

The walls of Koenma's office spun around her and warped around as they talked. Chunks of dirt gushed out of the cracks in the walls and began to flood the room. The ground felt shaky beneath her feet and the ceiling lamp burned the top of her head. It felt like she was in constant motion, that her body was being spun beneath her with the walls that circled around her. She knew that she wasn't moving but the floor continued to pull beneath her feet like sand at a beach.

She could see Yusuke making a strange face at her in the darkened room, then suddenly everyone was looking at her. Their eyes glowing and shining light upon her.

The sound of her breathing drowned out with the bells as things slowly reverted back to it's original form. The lights broke through and color returned to her world.

"Ai?" Kurama placed a hand on her shoulder.

She looked at him a little dazed and slowly nodded her head.

"It IS right, isn't it?" he asked his question for the second time.

"Yes, yes it is.." she said hesitantly. She didn't know what she was agreeing to but if it was from Kurama she trusted that whatever it was, it was for the best.

"I see... Well then Kurama, you are responsible for her. I am only doing this because you have become a very close friend to me and I definitely don't want to lose you. Although, I do expect you to begin checking in with me now. I will have Botan inform you when I get a response from Enki. We will take it from there." Koenma jumped off of his high seat and snapped his fingers. George immediately appeared by his side and read off of his clipboard.

"Your meeting with the parade manager is in fifteen minutes!"

Koenma nodded his head "Oh, yes. There is going to be a festival tonight, boys. Think about attending. It's going to be a magical night!" he said slightly loosing control of his excitement. The festival was an annual celebration to congratulate the placement of souls. It has always been a highlight in Koenma's days because he is recognized for his achievements and gets to revel in it shamelessly.

He made his way to the door but turned back around "One more thing. I apologize for earlier Ai, I didn't realize how important you were to Kurama because _someone_ forgot to tell me that you saved his life." he shot a quick glare over at Yusuke who quickly protested in the back.

She rubbed the back of her head, feeling the uncomfortable pinch again but nodded forgiveness to Koenma.

Koenma waited for them to leave his office before exiting himself and securing the door.

"You can never be too careful" he said then waved goodbye.

Yusuke made a light laugh with a hint of sarcasm as Koenma walked away then slapped his hands behind his head.

"Is everything alright, Ai?" asked Kurama. He looked at her with concerned eyes.

"Yeah, it looked like you were about to faint or something back there." added Yusuke. He tapped a few buttons on his phone then looked up at her for a response.

"One hundred percent" she said with a silly wink in Yusuke's direction. He grinned then stretched his arms above his head and pouted. "Man, now I have to go back and clean up that mess with Keiko."

Kuwabara laughed with a finger blatantly pointing in Yusuke's face. "Haha Urameshi, that's what happens when you can't keep your mouth shut!"

Yusuke punched him in his gut and yelled over his crumpling body "Idiot! You're the one who opened your mouth! You didn't even take the time to help me explain to her!"

Kuwabara quickly recovered "Hey, well you could have told me more about Kurama's situation instead of keepin' it all in a box like it's a super secret thing!"

Kurama gracefully tried to break the two apart "Well, the truth is out. Everyone is well informed now. I should have been more upfront. I apologize. Yusuke was only being ...discrete, like I had asked."

"That's right! You should be sorry. I thought that you got her pregnant or something. I was going to congratulate you." Kuwabara's anger slowly subsided and was replaced by a small chuckle when he exposed his misunderstanding.

"Oh, no. Is that what Keiko thinks, too?" asked Ai, a hand covering her embarrassed face.

Kurama placed a hand on his hip and slightly lowered his head letting out a sigh. "That explains her attitude earlier. What exactly did you say, Ai?" he looked at her from the corner of his eye with his head still hanging down exhausted. His free hand went to his forehead.

"I only told her the truth. I said that you have my bead and you give me pizza." she looked a little lost.

"That's not what you said!" added Kuwabara "You said that 'you gave him your _precious bead_ and that you're _always hungry_ since you _gave it to him_." He let out a howl of laughter, a hand crossing over his stomach to coddle the ache.

Kurama lifted his head "I see..I suppose it is truthful, in a way..." The more Kurama thought about it the more silly it became. A small smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

"I'm not pregnant! Please tell her the truth Yusuke!" Ai looked at him, the concern was scribbled all over her face.

Yusuke waved a hand to dismiss his aggravated mood "Yeah, yeah. I'll tell her _after_ she's done being pissed at me. I'm heading back home, anyone want to catch the portal with me?"

"I will. Yukina is waiting on me!" said Kuwabara, taking a look at the watch on his wrist.

"Kurama?" Yusuke lifted his chin in their direction.

"Actually, I'll go back on my own time. I want to familiarize Ai with this realm. You can go on ahead."

"Okay, cool. See you later. Let's go, bone head." said Yusuke, jamming his hands into his pockets. He wasn't looking forward to explaining himself to Keiko and being around Kuwabara, right now, just made him mad. He walked ahead with Kuwabara following behind him, waving goodbye to Kurama and Ai. "Have a nice date, you two!" he joked, laughing on his way out.

Kurama coolly placed a hand in his pocket and held out his free one to Ai.

"Shall we?" he smiled at her.

Ai blushed and looked at his open hand to his eyes. Her shoulders hunched up briefly with her bashful smile raising her rosy cheeks. He looked so handsome right now with his red hair brushing against his forehead and green eyes peeking through the breaks. Small shadows were cast on his face from the white lights in the hallway where they stood. His small smile was illuminated but his eyes looked dark.

She grabbed his hand, intertwining her fingers with his warm ones, and walked to his side. Her body burned, she felt like her stomach caught on fire with excitement and a dozen butterflies tickled her from the inside out. It took an immense amount of control for her to not scream although she knew that even if she did her heart would still beat hard; her stomach will still be agitated by the fluttering butterflies and her crave for more of his warmth would only get worse.


	12. Capture The Moment!

Author's Note:

So, this chapter is to put a little more emphasis on their relationship and to actually build a foundation for them to work with. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I feel like I was able to work a little more with Ai's personality and bring it out to full light. I'm not going to lie, I have been struggling with trying to define her as an actual character because my previous chapters have been... more about the differences that she has and trying to make her adjust and fit well into a new environment. Oh! and getting rid of The Mistress, Duh. It actually makes me a little mad that I'm not where I want to be in the chapters!  
(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

Anyway, it's all **downhill** from here on out. Super Kurama-ness. I also feel like I haven't been able to write about how their emotions are growing for each other. I'm ashamed for not creating situations in earlier chapters. I just thought that it was too soon? Kurama is not really an emotional person, people! These scenarios are tough to write!

(╯_╰") I apologize.

Anyway, enjoy this chapter. I think it's kinda cute?

* * *

They stood in an elevator with their hands still tangled within each others. Loud music, muffled by the thick walls of Koenma's castle, could be heard getting louder as they descended to ground level. Ai touched the mirror walls around them and traced between the buttons on the silver slate that lit up to correlate with the level that they were passing. Kurama explained the machinery to her without getting into the complications of the mechanics, although she did ask how it was.

"It's a common piece of machine in the Human World as well, you will see it often."

"Oh~"

They exited the elevator and Ai's face immediately lit up. Unlike in the Human World where you will walk out into a lobby, the elevator in Koenma's castle dropped them directly at the foot of his castle – outside; where the festival was being held.

Bright lights shined through the foggy darkness of the Spirit World and Ai was instantly thrilled. The air was thick with the aromas from deliciously prepared meals and dense with music that pleasantly tickled her ears. "People" in masks danced around the cracked ground and "children" chased one another with strange things dangling from string on a pole. It looked just like the ones that small villages would put on to celebrate days dedicated to the dead back in China, except more extravagant.

"Are these all spirits?" she asked Kurama, squeezing his hand excitedly.

He nodded his head. "Yes, there are however, also demons." he said a little cautiously and reciprocated by holding her hand tighter as well.

A masked child accidentally ran into Ai's leg.

"Oi~ sorry!" said the boy with a quick bow of the head before skittering away after his friends.

Ai giggled then pointed at him as he ran.

"Look, Kurama! He has a tail!"

Kurama smiled "Let's have a walk around."

She nodded her head eagerly and followed besides Kurama. They walked in silence and admired the small shops, briefly skimming through their goods but not actually buying anything. A few of the merchants offered to read their palms and other strange services that mimicked the venders in the Human World. They declined the offers but were amused by the work that the spirits were acting out.

Kurama could smell something sweet smoothly whisk off of her and invade his senses. It was a little earthy but sweet like cold peaches and cream. It was an interesting smell but he liked it. He could almost see it surrounding her.

The lights were soft on Ai's face and her eyes looked like fresh gold beneath the shadows of the fog that cast over her forehead. The center of her throat was bright from the fire in the lanterns. He wanted to take his shirt off of her just to see the light soften on her shoulders and down her arms. The olive color on her skin probably looks like gold under these lights, he thought.

"Oh! Look, performers" she said, taking the lead and pulling him to the stand.

"Smile!"

A man with the mask of an ogre jumped out from the side and suddenly flash photographed the couple with a bulky Polaroid camera. The small white film ejected from the bottom of his black machine and he handed it to a slightly dazed Kurama. "Enjoy!" said the stranger and continued his candid photography on other unsuspecting victims.

Kurama blinked a few times and he looked over to Ai who was doing the same thing.

He chuckled a little at the face she was making "Are you alright?" he asked, his small laugh made her smile. She nodded her head and looked at the photo in his hand.

Kurama waved it around in the air for a few seconds then held it out in front of them. A white frame surrounded a black square that was slowly fading by a rust color that spilled over the corners and pulled in the middle. The rust began to fade too and change colors, sticking to the black film in just the right spots to produce an image.

Ai was pointing, with her available hand, in a direction off of the photo with a toothy smile. The flash made her skin unusually pale against the darkness of the night and the floating lanterns were slightly blurred behind them. Kurama was looking at Ai, a thoughtful shine in his green eyes. His hair looked bright red with the harsh light of flash and his eyes pale. One of his hands was coolly placed in his pocket while the other was gripping Ai's casually between them. The light from the lanterns blurred the edges orange and yellow. It looked as if they were meandering between light and day. They looked modelesque.

"Wow! I love this, I want one!" Ai said excitedly.

Kurama pocketed the photo "It is quite amazing, isn't it?" he replied.

They entered the crowd and watched as three men danced beneath a giant drape that resembled a dragon. The man at the front operated the giant head, pulling strings beneath the cardboard to make the eyelashes flutter comically at the audience. The men snaked around in the center of the crowd. The dragon's mouth open and closed mechanically as it rehearsed silly jokes to the children and dove around in circles.

A small burst of fire shot out of it's mouth. It quickly closed it's mouth. A cloud of black smoke oozed it's way out between the fake lips.

"Excuse me!" said the dragon then everyone laughed.

* * *

Zhanshi lowered his head and cried. Fat tears rolled down his cheeks as he apologized, feeling the guilt of his actions. He looked up at his masters back and immediately felt isolated.

"It is not your fault Zhanshi." Master Jang suddenly said, his hands crossed behind his back.

Zhanshi felt hope.

"It's not your fault, I shouldn't have trusted an apprentice with something so emotionally daunting." finished Jang.

Zhanshi's hope lifted then fell back down to the ground. He felt like a failure and a burden to his idol. He mentally punished himself.

"I hope that she chose the right one. The only way for us to find out now is by showing her the remains of her last body. Hopefully her memories will return and she can be properly exorcized." Master Jang let out a long and dragging sigh before turning to face Zhanshi's pathetic state. "You will accompany me, Zhanshi. Prepare your supplies."

Zhanshi clenched his jaw and nodded. His hope returned once again. A chance for redemption was just what he wanted.

* * *

"The moon is probably lonely and sad. Don't you think?" she suddenly asked, looking to him for a response.

"Is that how you feel?" he asked, staring into the distance.

She nodded her head "Not when I'm with you. I used to, though." she smiled and lifted herself to sit on the bar. Her feet rested on the second tier. "Do you ever feel that way?" she turned her head and looked at him.

He breathed in and situated his arms tighter across his chest. He was quiet for a while then finally answered "Sometimes, I do." he answered honestly. He leaned against the rail and could feel the metal press against the back of his ribs. It was oddly comfortable.

Ai was a little surprised by his answer "-but you have so many friends and that ..girl.." she looked away with her lips twisted uncomfortably to the side. She immediately wanted to take the sentence back.

"Why do you say that? Are you envious or her?" he sounded amused. He looked at her with his interest piqued and pocketed his hands. He was also a little happy to be driving the conversation away from his feelings. They were complicated things that he wasn't even sure about himself.

She furrowed her brow "..Just.. remember the conditions!" she pointed a finger at him then quickly coward it away at her side.

He laughed "Don't worry, she is only my customer."

They sat in silence for a while, not quite sure what to say after that. Ai was slightly embarrassed for having her petty jealousy exposed.

"Ai, back in Koenma's office, it looked like you were going to faint. Was something wrong?" He broke the silence.

Ai shook her head. "I don't know." she lied. "I felt dizzy, maybe because it was so hot in there." she said, fanning herself with her hand. She stuck out her tongue like she was panting.

Her body's instinct blamed it on the elixir she consumed the night before. Her stomach churned at the thought that she might have drank the wrong one. She didn't want to reincarnate. Even as a ghost, she wanted to live forever; her growing curiosity and interest for Kurama was something that she wanted to be around for as long as possible. His soul was electric and he made her feel more alive than she would if she was actually human.

Sometimes she thought that it was his indifference then sudden sweet notions. Maybe it was because he was intelligent and she always wanted to hear what what he had to say , or because she knew that he was special and the sound of his voice sounded beautiful to her ears. Or, maybe, it was for moments like this.

Kurama was quiet for a few seconds. "I see. Maybe you shouldn't wear my shirt then." He made a reach for it and she slid further away from him.

"No~ I like it!"

He turned towards her. "The room was fine to me and I have more layers of clothing than you, if it made you hot then we should be cautious of your temperature. You are without your bead, after all. Give me the shirt." It was obvious to him that she was lying and he wasn't going to press her for answers. However, Kurama was a firm believer in consequences and he was going to make her feel the consequences of her decision to lie to him. He also thought that it would be humorous to tease her a little. Along with her lie, her crush on him was obvious as well. He could see her face turn red.

She shook her head and he slowly advanced towards her with an open hand. "Ai, running will-"

Ai took off. She ran as fast as she could, not even looking back to see if he was following or not. The sound of his footsteps behind her was enough for her heart to pound loudly over the sound of her own feet slapping against the hard surface.

The adrenaline ran to her head and for a slight moment the pinching returned and altered her vision. She was running through a thick forest. The lanterns were replaced by tall green trees and the cement was tough dirt beneath her feet. A nostalgic feeling of fear and pain suddenly overwhelmed her senses and she was scared for her life. Her lungs filled with red air and it scratched at her throat as she ran.

She blinked and as quickly as it came it was gone.

She was frozen for a second then remembered that she wasn't running from someone trying to hurt her but Kurama. She looked over her shoulder and couldn't see him anywhere. A smile grew on her face and she continued to run. Although he was no where in sight, she could feel him around her. She knew that his eyes were watching and no matter how far she ran or how many turns she took, he would be right behind her.

She shot through the crowd like a flair and was quickly entering the elevator. Her heart was beating quickly in her chest and she could see Kurama racing to beat the elevator doors.

Ai jammed her fingers on the close button repeatedly as he came closer and closer. She began to laugh and breath heavily, exhausted from the run but excited for more.

Kurama made one last quick dash for the closing doors but made it a second too late. The last thing he saw was the two mirror doors closing together on Ai's entertained eyes. She saw him smirk.

She hesitantly exited the elevator, not familiar with the level that she had just entered, although she did have a destination in mind. Regardless, she strode down the hallway that lead her to a pair of stairs delving deep into the castle. The nicely painted walls and wallpaper suddenly came to a halt and became raw walls made from thick boulders. Her eyes brightened and she knew now exactly where she was going.

Every step that she took on the cement steps made a loud echoing noise into the darkness. The only source of light were the small round lamps that jutted out of the walls.

The stairs spiraled down and felt like they were never ending but finally showed a light at the end. Ai ran down the final steps quickly then was face to face with the giant vault beneath the world. It was gigantic. It towered over her and excited her. She touched it from one end and walked all the way to the other end with her hand caressing the metal. It was cold and thick against her skin.

She took a few steps back, trying to get a good look at the vault and determine how to get inside. The only thing that gave her any clues was a small control panel on the far right of the wall that held the door.

She lifted the case over the panel and stared at the confusing buttons for a while. Ai hesitantly pressed a blue button but the screen flashed back at her angrily. She frowned and tried different alternatives.

"Are you opening the vault to take something out or put something in?" said Kurama.

She turned around startled and was met by his round eyes. He has been standing there for a while, with his head lingering over her shoulder and watching her press the buttons randomly.

She held his shirt tightly across her chest and stepped away from him. "To put something in. You can't take the shirt from me because it's something precious, like the treasures in this vault." She laughed between hiccups for air. It sounded ridiculous, and she knew it would, but the chase was fun and she wanted to play more. She wanted to do anything to keep him watching her, to keep him from looking away. She craved more of his attention.

Kurama raised his arms "I wont take it, although it is mine. We should not be here though, Ai." he said in a whimsical tone. She was truly surprising him. He almost wanted her to do something even more terrible so that he wouldn't have to wind down.

She giggled uncontrollably and let her arms fall. "Okay" she said feigning defeat.

Kurama held out a hand to her and waited for her to come to him.

She smiled mischievously at him and bit her lip. He's never seen her do that before but he liked it and it made him anticipate what she was doing next. She took a step closer to him.

Kurama twiddled his fingers and urged her to grab his hand.

Her brown eyes were locked onto his green ones for what felt like an eternity until she suddenly ripped a cord off of the control panel. It snapped and sizzled in the air with electricity sparking from the ends.

The screen flashed red and the lamps began to spin with the loud screech of a siren. A giant rock rolled in across the hallway and blocked the vault completely.

Ai gasped with a grin and Kurama's eyes widened.

His heart was beating faster than it normally did and the excitement in her eyes made him feel the same way. She was so magnetic. He could feel her pulsing beneath his skin. It was warm, strange, and foreign. He couldn't filter it properly out of his body like he can with his other emotions. He's never felt this way before.

She grabbed his hand and they ran their way back up the stairs that were shaking beneath their feet. They pressed their backs against a wall and waited for the ogre response team to pass by before entering the elevator and headed for Koenma's lobby for the portal.

Ai laughed loudly and tried to steady her breathing. "Ohmygosh! That was so fun!" she said

Kurama laughed with her and rubbed his eyes. This night was turning out to be a lot more than what he thought it would be. It was interesting the way she was making him feel.

Ai wrapped her arms around Kurama's waist and rested her head against his chest. She rubbed her cheek against the fabric of his shirt and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I need my bead right now. I'm so tired." she said, out of breath. She inhaled deeply and pressed herself even closer to him.

Kurama was a little taken back by her sudden intimacy but understood why. He could feel it too. He could feel her muscles relaxing against him and regaining an inch of her power back to stabilize her senses.

The effect it had was amazing. The world blurred around them and everything was surreal. The golden color on the walls was melting and their reflections in the mirror were ethereal and beautiful. Their bodies were hot against one another but wind was rushing past them. It was as if time was passing them by as they stood there and embraced one another.

Kurama slowly wrapped his arms around her too and rested his chin on hers. He closed his eyes and allowed the breeze of time to sweep around them. He could feel the rise and fall of Ai's chest change from quick and heavy thumps to a more calm and consistent beat. It made him happy and he didn't want to let her go. As good as it felt for her it felt even better for him. He squeezed her tighter in his arms but she broke away.

The elevator dinged and she grabbed his hand to pull him out of the elevator. Kurama blinked a few times, confused as to how they got to where they were. Only a few seconds ago he was holding her and now she was rushing him out of the box. It happened so quickly he didn't even realize when she released him. He was so caught up in the rapture of the time lapse that his orientation was temporarily distorted. A part of him wanted to grab her hand and pull her back into a hug and force her to make him feel that way again but he followed behind her, soon over stepping her and leading the way himself.

* * *

In a weary fall, Ai plopped down on the grass and laid down on her back. She patted the grass besides her and urged Kurama to join her. He examined the area before laying down opposite of her. The side of their heads touched lightly. She couldn't see him but she knew that they were looking at the same stars.

She spread her arms out wide and breathed in loudly. She giggled frequently through her breaths , recalling the events that just happened.

"That was so fun! I love the Spirit World festivals. I bet they are even better in the Demon World!" she laughed while twirling her fingers in random chunks of her hair.

"You're idea of fun is quite idiosyncratic, Ai. However, I can't say I didn't enjoy it either." He smiled up at the sky.

The grass was soft beneath their bodies and molded around them like a bed. The night was dark but was lit up by the moon and fireflies that resonated around them. The white seeds from a dandelion that Ai picked and blew floated in the mixture around them.

Ai reached her hand up into the air and felt the cool breeze squeeze through her fingers. She could see the small green and yellow lights slowly pass by the moon.

"This is so perfect, I wish this moment would last forever." she whispered

"That can be arranged."

Kurama pulled out his phone from his pocket and held it above them, granting her wish the best way he could.

"Can you see yourself?" he asked with the phone lens staring down at them.

Ai looked up and she did. She could see herself staring up at the object with Kurama's head beneath hers. "Is that a camera?" she asked happily.

"Yes, it is. But you need to smile for it to work."

She rolled her eyes but smiled , she couldn't stop herself from doing it anyway.

Kurama smiled with his teeth and snapped the picture by pressing a button on the side. It made a quick flash then a shutter sound and the image froze on the screen.

He looked at it then turned on his stomach to show her without straining his arms. "Wish granted."

She looked up at the image and laughed. It was amazing to her that, with the simple click of a plastic button, these moments can suddenly be captured and saved. Moving through frozen time was impossible but at least with these captured images she could relive her favorite moments and remember how she felt at that time.

"I've never seen you smile like that before!" she said through her grin. She wanted to see him make more faces like that.

"It's not a face I frequently make." he briefly flipped through his phone. The screen illuminating his face with blueish highlights. He flipped it over and pointed it at Ai and snapped another photo.

Ai faced Kurama at the sound of the shutter but was blinded by another flash from his phone. She laughed and covered her face. He shot her again.

Ai scrunched her nose and clawed at him like a cat, posing for the mechanical eyes.

Kurama chuckled then began to scroll through the new images he just collected.

Ai sat up and leaned over to watch him skillfully navigate through his touch screen phone. She was so close to him that he could smell the pleasant aroma of sweet peaches again. It was intoxicating and he was getting drunk off of her.

He was looking at her neck again, the exposed part that peeked out between her hair and collar of his shirt. It was bright beneath the moonlight and his lips ached to touch her soft skin. He wondered if it would shock him if he touched it, like the open end of a battery being poked by the tongue of a child. It was alluring and although he sensed a risk of danger it was elating and made him crave her even more. He could feel himself swiftly being pulled in by her magnetic existence. She was so beautiful to him. He thought that everything about her was only a smudge away from perfection, her unbidden attitude, the sweet disposition, reckless behavior, and naive perspective on life.

"Kuwabara has photos of Yukina on his phone." she said peering down at the photo gallery.

"I'm sure he does. She is his bethroved." he grabbed a handful of grass and shoved all of the overwhelming thoughts into the green blades.

"They must be happy." she said with a smile, recalling the image on Kuwabara's phone.

He casually hummed a reply while taking deep calm relaxing breaths in his head.

The photos were cute but it hurt Ai a little, loving the photos so much but knowing their limitations. They could take a hundred more photos of their night but it would eventually end. She was happy that he tried to save the night for her but it wasn't the same. The very second the photo is snapped the moment is already gone and all they have to remember it by is the image and their long term memory. So many seconds of this beautiful night have already been lost to the empty parts of their bodies and no matter how hard she tried to remember every move that they made and every word that they said, she couldn't. She knew what they did and what was said but she will never be able to take back what is done and will never be back in that very specific space in time. All of the fine details that she admired will be gone.

Just like sand that slips through the cracks, the moments tick away and leave only small fragments of memory behind to tease them with how they once felt.

She looked up at Kurama, her eyes darkened and admired the way his red hair looked in the dark. It was like velvet silk that perfectly draped over his face. He was quietly watching the fireflies mingle with the white fluffs of seed that occasionally broke off from their stems. It looked like fire and snow coexisting.

All of the signs were there. She only looked for him, her heart beat fast when he was with her, she did crazy things around him, and she was always thinking about him. It was obvious to her that she was quickly falling in love with him and it frightened her. Her heart beat to the bottom of her toes, scared that she will have to leave him one day, scared that she will never see him again, and scared that he gave her the wrong answer. She didn't want to leave him but if the color of his hair wasn't the answer to what she wanted then there was nothing left. There would be nothing but selfish pain in their future and she was fighting her fear just to have it. She knew that she wanted to live forever, but she only just come to realize that she wants to live forever with _him. _And knowing that not even photos could save what she desperately wanted to hold onto was tragic.

A part of her wanted to come clean and simply tell him of her reckless decision and how it might cost them their future but the other part only wanted to live ignorantly and blissfully by his side until the fateful day of her release comes. When it does, her heart will sit beneath the dirt and his will lay broken on the earth; where it will oxidize and mold, collecting dust between all of the cracks that their memories together made. Not even the photos could act as bandages to cover the wounds.

Kurama was obviously on her mind but it was only hopeful wishing that she was on his. The possibility that her love was unrequited replaced the other miserable thoughts in her head. Perhaps, only her heart will be the one breaking in the end. At least that way, her behavior wouldn't be an act of selfishness but instead self inflicted pain. That thought was a little bit more comforting than the one prior. She didn't want to hurt him at all.


	13. Sleep

Authors Note:

This chapter was fun to write. It's a little long but I got to write a little more in my style without having to focus on hitting certain points for the story.

Enjoy!

p.s check out the sneak peek when you're done! :D

* * *

White noise muffled sounds throughout the fire-lit room and the sound of crackling pieces of wood broke through like breaking glass. It was painfully uncomfortable to Ai. The stillness of the air was stale against her cheeks and she could feel that something was wrong. Something wasn't right. She was oddly familiar with the room that she sat in but the uneasiness made her think that something terrible was going to happen.

She could hear footsteps in the room over. They were slowly padding around on the bamboo flooring. Without thinking, Ai bent over and looked beneath the sliding door. A pair of feet paced back and forth, angry and heavy steps beat down on the pads. The feet suddenly stopped and pointed in her direction then without much hesitation the thin doors quickly slid open.

Ai woke up. The back of her head was twisting and the dream mixed into her reality with hazy vision. She rubbed her eyes. Since the night she drank that potion her dreams have been reoccurring. Every night it was the same dream and in each dream a different detail was added. At first it was just her, sitting in a room with a fire pit. Then another room appeared accompanied by the sound of footsteps. Just recently she recognized it as another person by peeking beneath the door and today the door actually opened.

Her heart was beating and the tips of her ears hurt like she has been running in the cold wind during winter. It was obvious to her now, what her choice has given her. Her instincts were telling her that the dreams were actually memories of the short moments before her death. It was only a matter of time until it all came crashing into her like a train. And the moment she remembers she will disappear and reincarnate. It sucked but there was nothing she could do about it now. The only thing that she has now is the relationship that she has developed with Kurama and his friends and their moments to come. Since the night of the festival she has become extremely close with the group. They spent a majority of their time together and helping her become more accustomed to the ways of the modern world in Japan. It was a little overwhelming at times but she enjoyed it.

One of the things she enjoyed the most, other than spending time with Kurama, was the girl time she was able to experience with Keiko, Yukina, Botan, and Juri.

The first time she met Botan was a little awkward, mainly because Botan was ashamed for missing so many souls. Once she discovered that it wasn't an area that was covered by her patrol the air cleared and she was able to act more lively around Ai. Being around the girls made her feel more relaxed and a little bit at home. Granted, their personalities were nothing like her ghostly sisters, which is probably for the best, but she sincerely enjoyed their company and looked forward to seeing them.

It was actually on her agenda for today to see them tonight. Normally, every Thursday, Ai and Kurama would share a box of pizza and ice cream; a tradition started the night she intruded on his home (The ice cream was only introduced last week). Unfortunately, he explained that it would have to wait till much later in the evening because of his new training schedule with the boys. Surprisingly, Hiei returned from the Makai to train with them which was the deciding factor that the first session couldn't be missed for pizza and ice cream. Botan jumped on this opportunity to have a fun "girl" night while the boys are gone.

Ai walked into Kurama's shop, the sound of bells ringing over her head. The small bead bells around her ankle only tinkled out at comparison to the ones that hung over Kurama's door. It took Ai a while to finally admit defeat and enter his shop for the first time. He refused to remove the plaid cover over the window which forced her to actually go into the store to see him, just as he planned. Now, she visits him frequently, sometimes even with Juri but today she went alone.

"Shuichi", Ai whispered whimsically. Kurama never explained to her the differences between the two names or why he was called one and not the other at times but she caught on quite quickly. She did "_observe"_ him for a week and one of the things that she noticed was that everyone outside of the small circle of people that were aware of his demon persona recognized him as Shuichi.

Kurama was nowhere to be seen. He was normally behind the small cashier counter but it was empty of any people.

She could hear him gardening in the back of the green house so she crept over. Her feet barely grazed the floor, she practically hovered her way over to him. He was carefully tending to a small sprout in an individual pot. The small green bud was erect with smaller pieces of grass that stuck out of the soil.

Ai placed her hands over his eyes then hung herself over his head so that she was looking at him upside down. Her knees pressed against his back and he could feel the end of her dress.

Kurama chuckled and leaned against her. "Let me guess, a ghost from my past?"

She stuck out her tongue and crossed her eyes then briefly lifted her hands from his eyes, giving him a peek at the odd look of her face before covering his eyes again. "Try again." she said with a smile.

Kurama's smile was small but it made Ai's stomach lift. "Oh, I'm mistaken. Perhaps it's the lovely Ai?"

She removed her hands from his eyes and kissed his forehead then straightened. He blushed and put the potted flower besides the other individual ones. He stood up and coolly placed a hand in his pocket to prevent himself from nervously scratching the back of his head. Kurama was happy to see her.

He was wondering when she would stop in today. Since the night of the festival, he's been thinking about her more frequently. He's been thinking about her a lot, actually. When looking over his schedule he realized he was revising it to make sure he had a few moments to spend with her everyday. It actually upset him that they wouldn't be able to do what they normally do tonight but he was doing something just as important without her.

If he didn't have to, he wouldn't be without her. His neediness was slightly incessant and he only hoped that she enjoyed being around him as much as he enjoyed being around her. Her company was truly a highlight in his day and like an addict he became irritable without it. It surprised him a little how dependent he was becoming on seeing her face. He was finally getting used to the strange feelings she gave him when he was around her and now he had to cope with the opposite feelings when she wasn't there Yesterday, Ai spent the whole morning with Juri and although Kurama knew that she didn't plan on visiting the store that day, he wished that she did. He wished that Juri suddenly had to leave for school or some other lame excuse so that she would miss him and go see him. He definitely missed her. He missed her yesterday and he missed her for every moment she was at home, waking up, getting ready, then walking her way over to him.

"I like that better." she said playfully. Her hands were tucked behind her back as she balanced on the heels of her feet.

Ai looked at him with a smile then jumped back onto her feet and knelt besides him to take a look at the flowers that he was grooming. "Oh~ they are growing so nicely!"

He looked down at the back of her head. He could see soft skin peeking out from the breaks in her hair. He lifted his gaze to the flowers. "Yes, they are." Kurama crossed over to a longer pot that was filled with soil. A small bag of seeds sat besides it on the counter. "Ai, would you like to help me plant a new flower?" He lifted the bag of seeds and shook them around like they were wine in a glass.

She looked over at him before getting up herself and standing besides him.

"I would love to." she looked at the long pot then placed her hands on her hips. "Why is the pot so big?"

"The flowers grow off of a shrub so I need the space." he handed her the bag of seeds.

Ai looked at the packet then behind her. Kurama already had a selection of hydrangea flowers to choose from. "You already have a lot of these type of flowers. Are they that popular in Japan?" she shook the seeds.

He nodded his head. "Yes, actually they are but I once saw the most beautiful hydrangea flowers. They were, so magnificently blue. All of those flowers you see back there are …. failures. I can't seem to replicate the color. That's why I asked for your assistance." he gave her a small smile with his hand out.

She put the seeds into his hand and he placed them down. "How can I help?"

Kurama opened the bag and put a line of four seeds on the soil. He pushed two of them down and she pushed in the other two. The seeds became engulfed in the soil.

"Depending on the soil, the flowers will produce a certain color. Just, hold this" he handed her a red rose that he whirled out from the back of his ear.

Ai looked at the red of the rose to the green of his eyes and mindlessly accepted the flower. The sharp thorns surprised her with a prick at her pointer finger. Ai sucked in air with a hiss and dropped the flower instinctively. She waved her hand in the air to cope with the pain and looked at Kurama appalled.

"Kurama!" she scolded him with her eyes.

He grabbed her hand by the wrist then squeezed the pricked finger until it dripped blood onto the soil. She ripped her hand away from him and took a step back obviously offended.

"I apologize. I didn't think you would give it to me willingly." he lifted his hands in defeat and smiled at her nervously. He knew that she wouldn't be able to stay mad at him but he was pressing his luck.

She frowned. " I would have given it to you if you asked".

He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter casually. His feet crossed as well.

"Would you have?" he was smiling.

She felt like he was teasing her now and she couldn't figure out where this attitude was coming from.

She put her hands on her hips "Yes, I would have. Now that you just stole it you can never have it again, though." She turned on her heel to leave but he caught her hand and pulled her into him.

Ai was trapped between Kurama's chest and the counter that held the pot. She could feel his chest pushing against the tips of her spine. Pieces of his hair fell over her shoulder as he grasped her hands in his. It tickled against her neck."We're not finished, yet and don't worry, no more blood. I promise." he said almost in a whisper near her ear.

He lifted his arm, bringing hers with his, to a watering can. She wrapped her fingers around the handle and he held his hand over hers to secure the grip. Together, they watered over the pot. She was trembling a little but his arm was strong and steadied the fall of the water. His body was warm against hers and it made her heart beat quickly. She wondered if he could tell. He could and it made him want to get even more of a rise from her. He could smell her so well, and it was so sweet. He leaned over her and rested his chin on her head where the smell was the strongest. It lifted off of her like a bowl of his favorite food.

After they watered the newly planted seeds he patted her hands over the soil to smooth it over and make a sleek surface. Ai could see the outline of his bones through his hands. They made puffy traces from his wrist into his knuckles. Although she could see his bones through his slender fingers his hands were gentle against hers during the whole process.

"And finished" he slowly released her, taking a step back to admire their work.

Ai lifted her hands to her face immediately and covered it with dirty hands, embarrassed. Her head hung.

"Why did you do that?" she asked, her hands muffling her words.

Kurama folded his hands behind his back and bent near her, trying to look at her covered face. She could see him through her fingers and she moved her face away, trying to avoid his stare. Although she knew he couldn't see her face, his green eyes only made her feel even more embarrassed. Kurama followed her with his eyes, pleased with the results of his flirtatious behavior.

"Why did I do what?"

She lifted her head and looked at him through separated fingers. "_**that!**_"

He wiped his hands off on his apron. "It bothers you?"

"Yes_no.."_ she mumbled the words together.

He leaned closer to her. "What? I didn't catch that." he was pressing her for an even bigger reaction. It was like a cat trying to catch the feather at the end of a string. Sometimes he will grab her and give her everything he has to offer at the drop of the hat then pull away so that she can be chased and swat at without a warning. It drove her crazy but as expected left her wanting more. He couldn't help it. All he wanted to do was hold her, everyday, all day long. He couldn't think of anything else and it was bothersome.

"Don't tease me." she said, she dropped her hands but looked away from him. Her heart was pumping in her throat.

Kurama grabbed a tissue from one of the many counters and began to wipe the dirt from her face. "I wasn't teasing you." he said a little coyly.

Ai looked away bashfully. She's been around many men before, many men who have wanted her and she responded by taking their souls. It wasn't like that now. This was significantly different. She couldn't just steal his soul and runaway like she has done plenty of times before, she didn't want to do that anyway. Kurama made her feel alive and she wanted to stay close to that forever.

She lifted a hand to his chest and could feel her bead resonating within him. It vibrated down her fingers, into her hand, and down her arm.

"Kurama, you're healing well."He looked down at her hand. "You wont need me soon. Then I wont have an excuse to be around you."

"You don't need an excuse." he answered quickly to make a point. This was the perfect opportunity for him to bring up her future. One of the questions that he has been thinking about as of late was what she planned to do when he gave her bead back. Was that the end of their friendship, would she just disappear like the other ghosts and continue with her initial plan? The question made him nervous but he wouldn't dare let that show. "Ai.." he started but the sound of his door ringing interrupted him

Ai immediately pulled away from him, afraid that someone would see the closed distance between the two. Her face was pale from shock but quickly regained its color.

Kurama sighed and tossed the tissues into a bin before heading to the counter to greet his guest.

"Welcome." said Kurama, securing the knot behind his back as he took his place at the register.

"Hello, Shuichi." said Maya. She walked in with her hands hiding behind her back and a big smile on her face.

"Oh, Maya. What a pleasant surprise. How can I help you this evening?" he smiled back at her. Maya made another set of orders the other day but he already completed the order so he was genuinely surprised to see her back so soon.

She leaned over to the counter "I have something for you."

He tilted his head curiously.

She nodded her head as if she was answering a question he was sure to ask then placed a small invitation besides the register. She slid it closer to him.

Kurama picked up the white envelope and unveiled the small card that was inside. He read the invitation then placed it back inside it's carrier. "An end of the summer pool party?" he read out loud a little confused. He has had invitations to many things before but never cordially invited to something like this. He rarely ever attended the "guys night outs" with his own friends let alone a pool party with random people from, what he would assume, former classmates.

He chuckled and she blushed. "I apologize. I am exceptionally busy during the weekends and-"

she looked away, her head hanging slightly which caused him to stop mid sentence.

The disappointment in her face made him feel guilty. It was tough enough for him to service her as her personal florist and now she wants him to start seeing him outside of the shop. If things between them had not gone the way they did perhaps it wouldn't be such a big deal. Perhaps, they wouldn't even be in this situation right now. She will ask him, without an invitation, to accompany her and he would gladly escort her to the party. Hell, he would have been glad to have her link arms with him and walk into the damned place like an actual couple but things were obviously not like that. Not only is her memory of her love for him erased but she was no longer the apple of his eye. And just because she was slowly creating feelings for him again, or the old ones were reemerging, doesn't mean that he was the same person in Middle School. He would be lying if he said he had no feelings for her completely or if he didn't think about her every now and then. But since the appearance of Ai, all of his emptiness has been filled and he had more purpose. The last time, he could recall, thinking about the times he's had with Maya was during the dark tournament fight against Ura Urashima. He had flashbacks, but she wasn't actually there. When Kurama was bleeding his way to Hell, Ai was actually there. She wasn't a flashback or a memory. She was the embodiment of his future and she gave him life. She makes him feel, even when he tries desperately to control his emotions, she brings out his wild nature.

He let out a sigh and pocketed the invitation in his green apron. "I'll see if I can rearrange my schedule."

Her face lit up and she grinned at him. She pulled out a piece of paper and wrote her phone number on it then left it on the table for him. "You can bring your friends too. Call me if you have any questions. I hope you show up." she waved goodbye to him then left with a giant smile on her face. His answer wasn't definite but he felt slightly obligated to go now. He brushed his hair back out of his face then looked at the clock. It was getting late and he knew that the girls would come looking for Ai soon. They probably realized that she wasn't home and are on their way over here right now.

He looked back at the green house but couldn't see Ai. She was too far back into the room.

He placed his hands on the counter and leaned forward with his shoulders hunched. He twisted his head around to relieve pressure that was building up around his neck.

"Ai" he called out, his eyes closed as he continued his small neck stretches. He felt too exhausted to go back into the garden house to find her but he needed his fix before she left. Only a few seconds passed but it felt much longer than that. He could feel himself getting anxious when she finally emerged from the room. She pushed back the giant transparent strips that hung across the entrance.

"Yes?" she said quietly.

He looked at her from across the room, happy that she came when he called for her. He wanted to beckon her to come even closer, to destroy any space between them and fill his with hers but he didn't exactly know how to ask for this. He rubbed his hands on his apron routinely and felt the white envelope in the pouch. "I have something to show you."

She smiled and walked over. She lifted herself up and leaped over the counter to his side. "Is it something dangerous?" she asked, wiggling her fingers in his direction like worms.

He smiled back and removed the envelope. "Not quite, however it is a great way to celebrate the coming of winter." he showed her the invitation.

She briefly read it over then handed it back to him. "I don't get it."

"It's a party."

"Okay.."

"It's similar to a festival, except there will be swimming... and pizza." It was the shortest and most accurate way for him to describe it in a way for her to understand quickly. He just wanted her to hug him and say yes; which she did.

Ai hugged him tightly and squeezed him while jumping up and down. He stayed planted to the ground but her jumping did make him sway from side to side a little.

Once again he was able to anticipate her actions and manipulate it to his advantage. Not much different than his method in the battlefield. It would have been easier for him to ask her for a hug. He knew that if he only asked, she would deliver and he couldn't quite figure out what it was that was holding him back from being completely straight forward with her. He needed this reassurance but he made a mental note to get it in a much more appropriate way next time. Perhaps he will make it a point at the pool party. The ending of summer should mark the beginning of their love. It sounded romantic in his head and made him a little nervous. It would be the first time he's ever confessed to a girl, more over a dead one.

"That sounds really fun." she said, releasing him from the hug.

The bell rang and in walked Botan with Keiko and Yukina closely behind. Their presence made the shop suddenly much louder even though only one of them spoke at a time.

Ai waved a friendly greeting in their direction and made a cheeky smile. "Is it time already?" she said making a glance at the clock.

"Oh, you better believe it!" said Botan "We need to get this party started." she giggled.

"Yes! We have a lot to talk about" teased Keiko making a sly eye in Kurama's direction.

Kurama chuckled "Oh my, is this something I should be concerned about?"

"It's girl talk, of course you should be!" Botan warned him in a playful tone but Kurama was genuinely curious about what they had to say about him, specifically what Ai had to say about him.

His hand rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps, Ai would prefer to spend a quite night in the shop with me instead then? "

She smiled but shook her head no. Her cheeks flushed with memories of their earlier activities in the green house.

Kurama briefly shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head "It was worth a shot."

"And you, my friend, just gave us more ammo!" shouted Botan with an amused shine in her eyes as she scanned between Ai and Kurama.

"You've set yourself up for an unfortunate night of gossip, Kurama." added Yukina quietly from the side.

"It seems I have." Which was fine with him. He was familiar with many forms of gossip thanks to his educational career as a student in the human world. As prone as he was to being the center of the chatter, he was just as good at getting the information. He was more than satisfied knowing that he'll be able to get the goods from Botan or even Yukina not soon after their little shindig.

"Lets rock and roll, ladies." said Keiko, already making her way to the door. "Thanks for letting us steal Ai, Kurama."

"I don't have much of a choice but you're welcome."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll be sure to bring her home _real_ late" teased Botan.

"Bye, Kurama." Yukina exited after the two girls and Ai waved goodbye. "I'll see you later, Kurama" she said and skipped out into the darkness with the sound of the door's bell ringing behind her. The door slowly shut. Kurama looked at his clock again. "An hour and thirty minutes."

* * *

Loud music played in the small pink colored room. It was simply decorated but adorned with many photos of Keiko with Yusuke.

"Look at this one!" said Keiko with an angry tone. "He looks so stupid!" she shouted at the image on her phone.

The girls all huddled over the small screen and tried to get a look at the image. Botan grabbed the phone from Keiko and closely examined the image. "You're right. Why is he doing that?"

"The behavior is strange but characteristic of Yusuke, Keiko." answered Yukina with a calm voice. She didn't know why it made Keiko so upset when Yusuke acted immature. It came with the territory when she decided to be with him, just as Yukina knew that Kuwabara wouldn't always act in his right mind, although those were a few of the aspects that she loved the most about him. The behavior should be expected from the boys.

"I think I can see Kuwabara's shoulder in this photo." pointed out Yukina with a small blue painted finger.

"Oh yeah! That's it right there." added Ai. A husky shoulder was peeking out from the side where Yusuke was performing the strange stunt, probably egging him on to do it. He looked like a monkey.

"Could you imagine Hiei doing that?" asked Botan then they immediately burst into laughter.

The idea was ludicrous but left a funny taste in their mouths. It was odd enough with Yusuke bending his knees apart with his feet heavily grounded to the floor in a pair of bright green jump pants. It would look even more ridiculous with Hiei imitating the pose but in his cape; it would only look like he was wearing a dress. Not to mention, the face. The face is what made the image so strange. His arms were lifted in the air, trying to make two parallel right angles with his hands flattened down. His eyes were small and beady like beans and his lips were puckered out into a perfect "O". Small wrinkles could be seen tracing his upper lip to the pink and his nose became a pipe with the amount of force he was pushing to his lower jaw. It was just, strange.

"The real question is, who took the photo?" asked Botan with an investigative finger up in the air.

"It couldn't have been Kuwabara. He's in the photo." Yukina eliminated one of the suspects.

"The only other two culprits are Kurama and Hiei" Keiko looked over to Ai.

She pressed her hands to her cheeks and squeezed her face to think. "Doesn't Yusuke have any other friends?" she asked

They shook their heads no. "Well, kinda, but he doesn't spend time with them like he does with the constant three." answered Keiko, thinking about other possible suspects.

"Does Hiei even know how to use a camera?" questioned Botan, her finger dropping to her side.

"That's a good question!" Yukina didn't even consider that.

"Well, it's not hard! All you have to do is press a button.." answered Ai. "I can just ask Kurama if he did or not." she said, trying to settle the conversation. This girls night was significantly different than the ones she has had with Juri. It was same in the way that they were talking, listening to music, and eating (a lot) but it was still a completely different experience. The music was different, the food was different, the conversations were different. Juri only asked about Shuichi in a casual manner; "How is he doing?" "Is his shop good?" "Spending a lot of time together?"

But here, their conversations were loud and separated the boys from the girls as if they were a vicious disease. It was strange but she was only beginning to feel the segregation now.

"No! Don't do that." Keiko answered quickly with her hands shaking from side to side. "Seriously, you don't have to. It's fine. I'm over it anyway."

Ai blinked a few times, a little confused then popped a cream puff in her mouth to avoid a noticeably uncomfortable twitch at the corner of her lip.

"Speaking of Kurama" started Botan, scooting closer to Ai on the floor. "You two have been spending a lot of time together."

Ai put another cream puff in her mouth and looked at Botan with shifty eyes. "We live together."

Keiko eased in "Yes, we know, but when we didn't see you at the apartment we knew where you would be~" she said in a whimsical voice.

"Yeah, I guess I do go there -"

"A lot!" shouted Botan with a wide grin on her face. Yukina was smiling along with the girls.

Ai looked at them and bit her lip feeling guilty for not being completely open with them. She knew almost every argument and frustration that Keiko went through with Yusuke and all about the wonderful dates that Kuwabara takes Yukina out on and yet they knew little about how she felt about Kurama.

The guilt must have been easily readable on her face because their faces lit up.

Yukina gasped and was suddenly more interested than before. "Did something happen between you two?"

Keiko puffed a breath "Are you actually pregnant this time?" she joked rubbing her stomach.

"No!" Ai answered immediately. "No, it's just. Earlier today, he -"

"Kissed you!" shouted Botan with a clap of her hand

"Shh!" Yukina put a finger over Botan's mouth which surprised everyone. "Please, continue Ai." she said while slowly removing her finger from Botan's shocked face.

Ai blushed. "He didn't kiss me but he .." she couldn't think of an appropriate way to describe what happened between the two of them without making it sound so odd. What happened between the two was strange and a little erotic and it wasn't something she was comfortable with exposing to these curious eyes. "He uhm..told me that I don't need an excuse to be around him and he pressed his body.. really close to mine but then he had a customer.."

Their hunched shoulders dropped with their hope and Botan whined. "That's it?! No kissy goo goo ga ga stuff?"

"That's still sweet" added Yukina, still interested. "I think he likes you, a lot."

Ai twisted her lips to the side.

"And do you like him?" asked Keiko.

Ai nodded her head coyly. "I really.. do. No one has ever made me feel this way before. I'm always thinking about him and I want to be around him all the time." She looked down at her hands and could just feel his within hers. " He's so warm and he makes me feel alive. I love it."

"You _love_ him, not it." said Yukina sternly.

"It sounds like it to me, too." said Keiko, rubbing her hands together. "I feel like that with Yusuke. Although he makes me angry.. a lot, I still always want to be with him." she sighed and slid her phone away, trying to will out the annoying image. "He's immature and loud but it wouldn't be Yusuke without it." she smiled.

"And Kurama is quite the fox, Ai! There are many girls out for him right now." Botan chimed in with a wink of her eye.

"Many girls? Like Maya?"

Botan gasped and grabbed Ai's shoulders. "Have you met Maya?"

Ai hunched her shoulders a little surprised. "Not formally but she is a frequent customer in Kurama's shop."

Botan turned away dramatically with her hand balled against her lips. She pouted and her eyes were large and glossing over with tears. "Oh, so bitter sweet. It's like a soap opera."

"What are you talking about, Botan?" Keiko giggled at her reaction.

Botan lifted her arms up into the air then embraced herself. "Old middle school sweethearts reaching out for each other years later after a tragic event!"

They all looked at the story telling Botan with eager eyes and open ears.

"Maya was openly interested in Kurama, and Kurama returned the feelings mutually. She confessed to him one day but in order to protect her from his dangerous world he turned her down."

"Oh~" the girls said simultaneously.

"**BUT!"** they jumped. "Already involved, she was kidnapped by Yatsude's henchmen. Kurama and Hiei went to save her and defeat Yatsude. Once the demon was defeated Kurama was left with no other choice but to erase her memory of the recent events... and her love for him" she teared up and wiped a tear from her cheek. "It's tragic, truly" she sniffled then suddenly clapped her hands together loudly and leaned in closely to Ai. "However! That was years ago and it seems that a new special little lady has attracted the heart of the young fox demon."

Yukina balled her fists and joined Botan's rant. "We can't allow her to interfere with your blossoming love, Ai!"

"Yes! You must confess your feelings to him before it's too late!"

The three girls were looking at Ai intensely now. Their stares were bright and full of hopelessly romantic thoughts.

"I don't know, what if he says no.." she pulled on her bottom lip at the nervous thought.

"No way! He's totally in to you!" Botan said confidently.

"He was supposedly into Maya too, though." added Yukina.

Keiko and Botan looked at her with disapproval. Yukina raised a hand apologetically.

"Well, we are going to a .. _pool party?"_ Ai thought out loud.

"That's perfect! Confess to him there! We will help you!" urged Botan.

"Here, I even have a few swim suits you can choose from!" Keiko got up and walked over to her dresser and began to dig through it. "My cousins always buy me swim suits but they aren't really my... taste" she laughed

"Oh~ This is going to be perfect."

Ai shook her head. "I've never confessed before. I don't know what I'm doing." she admitted with a bashful smile.

"It's simple. Flirt with him a little, I know you know how to do that!" Botan winked at her.

Ai scrunched her nose "It feels wrong to seduce him though. I don't want to steal anything from him."

"Just his heart" added Yukina with a sly smile. "Don't think of it as a tool anymore, Ai. There is nothing wrong with passionately expressing your feelings. I'm sure he will reciprocate positively."

"And this aught to do the trick!" said Keiko dropping a few bathing suits between their circle of knees.

Botan lifted a white top and grinned. "Wear this one, Ai!" She grabbed the bottoms to the bikini and laid it out for everyone to see. It was a clean white bikini. The top was strapless and was held together by a gold ring between the two twisted breast plates. The bottoms were cut short and was held together at the sides by similar rings.

Yukina's face went red.

"It's so sexy you shouldn't have any worries about his answer." Botan giggled.

Ai shook her head no "that's so revealing..."

"How about this one then?" Yukina pointed to the deep red material that was mixed in with the other colors.

She grabbed the bathing suit and was pleasantly surprised at the design. It had just the amount of sexiness and modesty that she was looking for. She actually thought that it was much more sexier than the previous one.

The red was beautiful and felt like silk at a small touch. It looked like it was a mess of ribbons that were meant to wrap around the breasts. Two ribbons stretched out from the middle of the bandeau top like a V. One reached out to the right and the other the left to go around the shoulders and sneak back out to the front to cross over the stomach in a giant X. The two strips connected the top to the bottoms with the ends of the X.

Ai could imagine Kurama tracing a finger beneath one of the strips across her stomach. "This one is perfect."

"That is a good choice" said Keiko. "I've never worn that one. Red doesn't flatter me too well. "

Botan squealed with excitement, her blue hair swishing from side to side. "This is going to be great, you're going to reel him in like a fish."

"I'm actually in a much needed pool party mood, myself. Should we crash the party?" she giggled and looked through the other suits that she whipped out earlier.

"That sounds delightful."

"I would have a lot more confidence if you were all there." said Ai with an skittish smile.

* * *

Dust lifted from the floor as Kurama's feet skidded across the dirt. His arms blocked his face against the strong wave of spirit energy that was forcing him back.

In one great swipe of his hands he summoned his rose whip to force his way through the wave of energy. It grazed his shoulders as he ripped his way through the green beam, burning the sides off of his sleeves.

The moment the light parted around him he could see Yusuke rushing at him full throttle across the yard. He lunged at him with his first pulled back.

Yusuke swung his fist at Kurama's face but punched air over his head. Kurama ducked and tapped Yusuke's abdomen with a pointed hand. "Dead"

Yusuke froze, his muscles tense before he pulled away and stomped his foot in a fit. "I was open there, too? Damn!" he shouted kicking grass and dirt up into the air then placing his hands on his hips. He grabbed the end of his shirt and wiped the sweat off of his forehead with it.

Kurama crossed his arms and stood by Yusuke's fuming form. "You made significant progress and performed notably better than Kuwabara, if that is any consolidation."

They looked over at Kuwabara who was crippled up on the floor with his face pressing against the ground and his bottom in the air. "I'm good" he mumbled into the dirt.

Yusuke laughed and searched his pocket for his phone. He took it out to take a picture of Kuwabara's pathetic state but the battery was completely drained. "Aw man, no way. Let me borrow your phone Kurama." he pocketed his dead phone and took the rectangular device that Kurama handed him.

Yusuke snapped the photo then entered the camera's gallery to view the image that he just shot and was surprised with Kurama's collection of photos. "What's all of this?" he said out loud almost with a laugh. Kuwabara managed to crawl his way over to Yusuke to check out what all the commotion was about.

"I don't even have this many photos of Keiko on my phone." he teased.

"Hey, let me see!" shouted Kuwabara, working his way up to his feet and heaving his tired eyes upon the brightly lit screen.

Hiei appeared behind Yusuke and made curious glances at the images that Yusuke flipped through.

"Hn, you are smitten by her?"

"More like obsessed, check this out!" Yusuke shamelessly tilted the screen in Hiei's direction. Hiei flashed a quaint peek at it then feigned indifference.

"Woah! I knew you would fall in love with that chick. I can totally give you some pointers that I use with Yukina." he let out a goofy giggle.

"Idiot, Kurama is far more experienced than you ever will be. Your '_pointers' _are nothing but pathetic and failed attempts at being a mediocre gentleman. If that." Hiei spat venom from his throat and coated his words with the poison. His insult was sincere and the disgust was evident.

"Whatever shrimp! Listen, Kurama I know for a fact that-"

Kurama sighed "I wont have this conversation with any of you." he gave them an open hand and expected them to give him his device back.

"Oh, this one is actually pretty cute. I've never seen you smile like that before Kurama." Yusuke calmed down a little and was actually admiring the image when Hiei snatched the phone from his hand and dropped it into Kurama's palm. "Hey!"

"Thank you, Hiei. I'll be leaving now." He inhaled deeply to remain calm. He understood that it was all in good fun and that they were probably genuinely interested in his relationship with Ai, but he wasn't comfortable disclosing his emotions to Yusuke or Kuwabara. Besides, his body felt loose from the workout and he reeked of dirt and sweat. It was uncomfortable; all he wanted to do was shower and go to sleep.

He rubbed his shoulder and walked at a nice pace back home, Hiei trailing behind him.

"Are you serious about this woman?" asked Hiei

Kurama pocketed his hands and closed his eyes, enjoying the nice breeze that the night air touched against his cheeks. He thought about that question for no longer than what it took for Hiei to say it and immediately knew the answer. His head nodded. "Yes, I am."

Hiei scoffed "She is a ghost."

"Indeed, she is."

"Not human"

"Yes."

"Not demon"

"Yes"

"Dead"

"And yet, she makes me feel more alive than any human or demon I've ever met." Kurama's answer silenced Hiei. "I plan to confess to her this weekend. Surprisingly, I'm actually nervous." he frankly revealed the secret to his best friend and it lifted a weight off of his shoulders. He felt like he could breath a little bit easier now.

"Kurama, nervous? I didn't know you were capable of feeling such."

"She makes me feel many things I've never felt before."

"It is because she doesn't requite your love?"

Kurama was quiet. Is that why he was nervous? His cheeks got warm at the thought of it. He wanted to be confident that she felt the same way as he did, but he wouldn't be completely satisfied until he heard her say it himself.

* * *

Ai laid on the sofa, completely exhausted. Sleep was on its way and she knew it. The only thing that she didn't know was what she was going to dream of. If she could write out her own dream, she would dream of Kurama. He would be the first one that she would see and she would be the last one that he would. The dream would last while she swayed in the comfort of the stuffed seats in the sofa. Her knees tucked against her chest and the smell of roses surrounding her. The thought was comforting and with such sweet ideas swimming in her mind she was eager for sleep to take her into the beautiful world of her dreams. Eventually it washed over her like a wave and engulfed her into the perfect dream that she was craving moments before it took her.

Kurama walked in not too long after she was taken by the sleep. He was actually expecting her to be awake, waiting for him in the living room but he remembered that it was much later than usual and normally he would be holding a box of pizza and a carton of ice cream.

He rounded into the living room and saw Ai's small body scrunched up on the couch fast asleep. He sat besides her sleeping form and lifted her head to rest onto his lap. She repositioned herself comfortably upon him like a cat, rubbing her cheek against his thigh. At least this much would be the same as every Thursday night. He needed to normalize back into his routine a little to get any sleep tonight.

His fingers gently pulled at her hair, slipping them through the length of the strands. He could see her eyes darting back and forth behind her eyelids. She looked so peaceful and content, he wondered what she was dreaming about. He carefully leaned down, chunks of his hair softly landing on her face, and kissed her eyelids light enough to not wake her. He wished that the kiss will make her dream of him before he tilted his own head back against the rest of the sofa and closed his eyes, his hands still sifting through her hair; it was relaxing.

His lips curled into a smile as he let sleep overcome him.

* * *

!New Chapter Sneak Peek!

It felt like she swallowed a thousand needles but could somehow manage to breath and it was painful. Her throat tightened along with her chest and her arms went numb. Tears stung her eyes and threatened to come out but she rubbed them away with angry hands. She died a thousand deaths watching them kiss and in that moment she could only hope that she has never made anyone feel this way, ever.

"Maybe I did make the right choice.."


	14. The Coming of a Great Fall

Ai immediately brushed her teeth the moment she woke up. Sleep gave her a melancholy taste in her mouth and she hated it. It was dense and foggy, as if she had a forest growing in her mouth that contained nothing but cotton and humidity from the sun beating down on wet leaves. Sleep used to be an enjoyable pass time for her but now it was becoming more and more annoying every time she awoke. She didn't enjoy her dreams anymore, she couldn't control them and it ruined her whole experience. Even yesterday when she woke up in Kurama's lap, she wasn't able to stop herself from rushing to the restroom to give her mouth a good brushing.

It was like all of the souls that passed through her lips left small remnants of themselves inside and were festering slowly between her teeth. She felt guilty for being who she was but Kurama reminded her why she was there. The only thing that she wanted to taste was him but she needed a clean slate to do it.

A knock came at the door and ripped Ai away from the T.V. She was watching a random cooking show about the differences between organic meats.

Her feet carried her quickly over to the door. She was expecting guests, mainly the girls, and she was excited about it. They planned everything yesterday, how things will go down at the party and it gave her a boost of much needed confidence knowing that they would be there.

She opened the door and they loudly walked in with bright faces and happy smiles.

"Alright girls! We have two hours until Kurama gets back and we want to be ready and gone before that time comes. Keiko, did you send the text message?"

She nodded sternly and tapped her pocket where her phone bulged out. "Yes, ma'am! Message was sent and received just as planned!" She made a military salute and they laughed at the fake seriousness.

"Good, then he knows where you will be. We don't want him to come home to a sexy you! He has to see a sexy you at the party." Botan reached out into the ceiling and grabbed air into a tight fist. "Victory will be ours, Ai."

"Yes, he is sure to be enchanted by your beauty, Ai." Yukina smiled quietly.

"Operation Love is now in effect" Botan raised a hand in the air and the girls simultaneously smacked it against their own with a low roar of a cheer.

Ai didn't think that it was possible for preparation to take this long. They made her hair into cute beach waves ,which was a nice change from her naturally straight hair, with a braid to halo across half of her head. The end of the braid tucked neatly behind her ear.

A light amount of makeup was applied around her eyes and completed with waterproof mascara.

"Isn't it going to come off in the water?" asked Ai, brushing a fingertip against her coated eyelashes.

Botan smacked her hand away from her eyes and lifted a warning finger. "Rule one, don't go underwater. Your hair will go flat!"

"Botan, it's a pool party.." commented Yukina, trying to see the logic in the first rule.

"Yes~ but what is our objective? She needs to look extra beautiful when she makes her confession!"

Keiko nodded her head. "I'm not even putting my head underwater." she ran a hand through her hair.

* * *

"Hey lover boy!" announced Yusuke. A few customers looked over in his direction at his loud comment before continuing to look around at the flowers.

"Oh, hello Yusuke. Flowers for Keiko again, I presume?" Kurama began to take out a wrap for the flowers but Yusuke held up a hand and stopped him.

"Actually, I'm here for something much more fun than flowers"

Kurama lifted a brow curiously. "Hm?"

"I overheard Keiko on the phone last night... and me and Kuwabara are going to go crash a pool party. Are you down?"

"A pool party?" Kurama

Yusuke ducked his lips and nodded "Yep, a pool party, supposedly hosted by Maya Kita-something."

Kurama chuckled. "Kitajima. Yes, I'm aware of that _party_."

"So you'll crash it with me and the monkey?"

"No."

"What?! Why not!? A bunch of hot chicks and free food!"

"To begin, I was personally invited by Miss Kitajima. I have my own agenda attending the party and I would prefer if things went smoothly. In that case, you and Kuwabara should just accompany me instead as guests."

Yusuke's jaw dropped. "Your own agenda? And since when were you close to Maya? She's so quiet." Yusuke thought about what he just said for a second, rubbing his chin. "Oh, well forget that last part. I guess we'll just do it the nice and proper way." he crossed his arms and twisted his lips then turned to leave but made a take back over his shoulder. "Hey, Kurama. Quick question."

Kurama was writing down notes to make in his ledger for his step father's records "Yes, Yusuke."

he answered without looking up, his pen making ink numbers on the white paper.

Yusuke looked down at the paper to Kurama's studious face "When are you going to tell her that you can heal on your own now?" Yusuke's voice was low and serious. He asked almost in a whisper to keep it between the two of them. Kurama's hand stopped jotting the numbers down and held the pen still against the white sheet. The inky ball point embedded itself into the paper.

Kurama has been with the help of Ai's bead for more than a month now and Kurama was fully capable of recovering without it now. His demon blood allowed him to heal much faster than the average person and although Ai anticipated a quick recovery, she forgot that he wouldn't need it for the full extent of his recuperation. Granted, without it, he would not be able to perform as well until his body adjusts to the changes but he was now passed the near death stages and could manage without her energy.

Ai sensed this the day they planted the hydrangea flowers together and he tried to subdue her concern and insecurities but maybe it wasn't enough. Aside from the single comment she made about it that day, she has been quiet about the issue and so has he. Although Kurama didn't need it as an excuse to be around her, it frightened him a little that maybe she did. It was one of the driving points that convinced him to confess to her tonight. He hoped that he could return her bead and she would still stay with him but for a different reason. A better reason – _him_.

Kurama looked up from his paper thoughts and faced Yusuke with a smile. "I'm actually quite distracted right now Yusuke. May we can continue this conversation at a later date?"

Yusuke stared at Kurama for a while before jamming his hands in his pockets and furrowing his brows in concern and turning to leave. "Alright, but I expect a detailed explanation soon. Me and Kuwabara will drop by your place later, make sure you're good to go." He motioned his head in the direction of the door then left. His mood completely shot.

* * *

The pool party was large and already flooding with people. The pool itself was enormous and had smaller identical pools that acted as individual islands around the property. There were small plastic flowers that floated in the waters, brilliant decorative lights, loud music, and a seemingly endless supply of picnic tables topped with umbrellas.

The hot air lifted the smell of chlorine which permeated throughout the surrounding areas. The sound of cicadas could be heard in trees overhead and among the chatter of people gathering outside the Kitajima residence for entry. It was the true embodiment of a summer pool party and everyone was feeling the vibe.

"And Kurama should be here any-"

"Yo Keiko!" Yusuke greeted loudly with a hand waving in the air. His chocolate eyes were bright and he grinned mischievously at the group of girls.

A giant storm dust accumulated behind Kuwabara's feet as he ran as fast as he could to meet with Yukina. He shouted her name as he got closer with each step.

"Oh my" Yukina placed a hand over her mouth and giggled lightly into it. Her cheeks were bright red when he lifted her off of the ground and embraced her tightly within his strong arms.

"Gah! I'm so excited to see you Yukina." He placed her gently on her feet.

"Cool your jets Kuwabra, the girls aren't even showing any skin yet." laughed Yusuke.

Keiko lowered her head in irritation and gave him a nice strong smack to the back of the head.

"Maybe we'll keep our dresses on the whole night." she said vindictively.

Yusuke grumbled an apology.

"Well, there seems to be quite the crowd" commented Kurama, crossing his arms and looking at the line that was stretching out of the front gate.

"I hope it doesn't scare you off" said Maya, entering from the side.

Everyone looked at her as she stood within their group. Her mint bikini was tight against her body and made Ai blush.

"Are these all of your guests? One..two..three..-six..six people. Wow Shuichi, you're more social than I thought."

He smiled then gestured towards his friends. "Yes, I would like to guest my friends inside if that is alright with you, of course."

She glanced at the faces around her then smiled and introduced herself briefly. "Well, thank you all for coming. I invited Kurama personally and if you guys are his guests, you're all welcome. Come, follow me. I wont make you guys wait in line." she tittered a little mockingly at the people that were waiting to get inside.

She motioned with a finger for Kurama's group to follow her and lead them to the front of the line where two security guards immediately allowed them to enter at the side of their employer.

"Dang, this is legit." whispered Yusuke to Kuwabara.

"Yeah, good thing we didn't stick with Plan A"

* * *

The music pounded so loudly that the vibrations from the bass could be felt from their feet into their chests and the water rippled at the corners. There were lanterns hanging from the top of the patio and giant beach balls were being pushed around in the air by random people enjoying the party. A large table full of confectioneries and salty treats stood besides two men making hamburgers and hot dogs on a dual sided grill and beside the individual smaller pools were highly decorative gazebos where groups of people lounged about with drinks in their hands.

"Holy cow, this is amazing." said Kuwabara over the music.

"Now, this is what I call a party!" Yusuke grabbed Keiko's hand and twirled her beneath his arm. She smiled and shimmied a little to make him laugh.

"Oh~ Let's dance the night away." he said with a cheesy smile and a turned up brow. She laughed and accepted his hand where he lead her to an open space between the crowd.

"Do you want to dance too, Yukina?" Kuwabara asked after Yusuke modeled it so perfectly. He blushed brightly and scratched the back of his head.

Yukina looked at Kuwabara and shook her head. "Actually, I would like some water if-"

"Yeah, of course!" he eagerly grabbed her hand and escorted her to the table loaded with a variety of beverages. Yukina was pulled away from the group so quickly that she was only able to wave behind her as a parting gesture.

"He's a keeper." said Kurama with a small smile on his face.

Maya linked her arm with Kurama's and created a border between him and the remaining girls with her back. "Shuichi, let's have a few drinks before we take a dip in the pool."

He immediately turned to Ai who gave him a weary smile. It wasn't a smile of completely approval, but it feigned indifference and for the first time Kurama felt like she was testing him. The whole situation seemed fixed and regardless of which answer he chooses, he would fail.

"Of course." he said a little hesitantly with sweat beading at the side of his head. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this uncomfortable.

Botan's mouth dropped to the floor at the imprudence and immediately looked to Ai who allowed them to walk away with their arms linked.

"Ai! You're the one who is supposed to be walking away with him!" she grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a heavy shake.

"It's okay, Botan." Ai managed to say after having her brain shaken to mush.

Botan looked at her curiously.

"I'm going to win." she said confidently at their fading backs. She turned to Botan with a glint in her eye. "C'mon. Let's work some ghost magic. Hm?"

* * *

Maya handed Kurama a small glass of orange and red liquid. The liquor was sweet at the tip of his tongue but tasted sour as it went down. He wasn't familiar with this beverage but after a few more tastes he discovered that it wasn't a favorite of his.

He placed the drink down on the white table that they sat around.

"'I'm glad that you showed up." she said, taking a sip from her pink cosmo cocktail.

He nodded his head and simulated an interested smile on his face. "Of course."

"Actually.." she started with a red blush rising in her cheeks.

Kurama recognized that look and almost wanted to rise out of his seat and simply walk away. It was the same look she gave him before she confessed in Middle School and it seems that the events were going to be replicated once again.

His eyes shifted from one end of the yard to the other, looking for an excuse to leave but she continued on. "I invited you here for a reason..." She looked up at him and leaned in closer, her body slightly lifting over the table. "I..-"

Her saucer cup clinked against the plastic table and spilled it's contents onto her lap. She gasped and quickly pulled out of her seat with her hands raised. The liquid was cold against her skin and she immediately reached for a towel and began to wipe herself off.

Kurama remained seated and breathed out slightly relieved before standing up and offering to help her. He picked up her glass and from inside the clear crystal he could see two faces, distorted by the shape of the cup, peeking out from behind the corner. He identified the faces and a smile curled up on his lips. A small chuckle escaped but he stifled it with the side of his hand casually.

Ai and Botan celebrated with a high-five. Ai whisked her finger around in the air like a wand. "That was great! I love that trick." she giggled.

"Yes, great thinking. Now, time for phase two." she shimmied her eyebrows then made her move.

Maya looked completely distressed when Botan"coincidentally" happened upon the two.

"Oh! There you guys are. Hey, we are about to enjoy some water. Would you like to come?" Botan's smile was big and her pink eyes were wide with enthusiasm. Her perkiness easily disguised her ulterior motive.

"I spilled my drink I-"

"Oh, that's fine. We'll start without you!" she interrupted, fanning a hand in her direction. "Let's go!" she said, grabbing Kurama's hand.

Kurama kept his mouth shut. It was obvious to him what was going on and he wasn't going to be caught in the middle of a cat fight. It was much easier for him to be the reason than to be directly involved with the action. Besides, Botan was actually doing him a huge favor. Maya made him more uncomfortable than a pants full of bees and if he had to sit through her confession it would have ruined his own confession he had planned for Ai.

He flashed a nervous smile at Maya and left the drink on the table before being completely dragged away by the a forceful Botan.

* * *

Ai was already sitting on one of the reclined lawn chairs that she secured for her friends. The white plastic stuck to her thighs and was uncomfortable to lay on but everyone was doing it as if it wasn't painful. She shifted around several times, trying to find a sweet spot but never came around to it. By the time she figured that it would be best to just sit at the edge with her dress tightly tucked beneath her Botan and Kurama were already at her side.

Ai shielded her eyes from the sun with a hand as she looked upon Kurama. The sun was setting behind his head and she could see the fine hairs at the top of his head crowning out. His outline was traced with orange light and his skin glowed. His face was shadowed by the clouds which defined his bone structure.

"Alright, let's do this!" cheered Botan as she undressed and revealed the white bikini that she was obsessing over. The golden rings were tight against the height of her thighs and her bust filled out the top well.

Yusuke sharked his way up to the concrete edge and spat water out of his mouth. "Damn!" he said wiping his hand down his face. His eyebrows loss their shape and dragged with his hand.

Botan blushed and pushed his head underwater with her foot until he splashed his arms around desperate for air.

"I didn't wear this for _you_" she said, secretly pleased with his reaction. She turned to Ai and winked. "Well?" she said then jumped over Yusuke's head into the pool creating a large splash.

Ai laughed and raised her hands to protect her from the droplets of water that rose with the splash. She looked over to Kurama and her smile transformed into something strange. Her lips were pulled back but they squared around her teeth. The sight of him nearly stole the breath right out from her lungs and through her clenched teeth. Her smile was nervous and awkward.

Kurama lifted his white shirt over his head and removed it from his body. He began to fold it nicely when he looked over at her with a smile on his face. "How do you fair in the water?"

His muscles were lean and defined beneath his clear skin which looked tight around his body. With every small movement he made she could see the acute shapes move and bend fluid and weightlessly.

She crossed her arms and grabbed the bottom of her dress to lift over her head. At the lift, Kurama could see the red material beneath the white cover. The length of her leg to her thighs was beautiful and her olive skin made the deep red his new favorite color. He stared, almost gawked, and anxiously waited for her to reveal more of the suit to him but she suddenly released the ends and allowed the dress to hang over her.

He looked up at her face and was surprised to see it vexed and slightly aggravated.

"I'm so sorry about that, I'm all cleaned up now." Maya said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Kurama closed his eyes to hide his growing irritation with the woman.

"Splendid, are you joining us?"

She looked around with her big brown eyes and sucked on her bottom lip almost in a pout.

"Well, I still want to have a word with you..."

It seemed to be an unavoidable conversation. She was persistent and even though he tried to keep her at a distance she was only coming in closer.

Kurama nodded his head and followed her to find a secluded area for their conversation. He glanced over his shoulder a few times to read Ai's expression but her face remained hidden from him. She wasn't going to watch him walk away a second time.

They stood inside one of the gazebos in the outskirts of her property. It was beautiful with light pink drapes around the sides and comfortable plush pillows and chairs all around. The pillars that held up the gazebo was surrounded in crawling vines and was adorned with pink flowers at the peak of their height.

Kurama admired the elegance and decorative white and pink color scheme.

"This is very lovely, Maya. Your property is quite impressive, I see a lot of Western influences."

"Yes, well I did ask for many roses." she grazed one with the tip of her fingers. "You always reminded me of a rose, Shuichi. So beautiful to look at but almost impossible to touch." she smiled to herself then looked at him from over her shoulder.

Kurama remained silent.

* * *

Botan splashed water at Ai's feet.

"What are you doing? It's been a good fifteen minutes. Go find them!"

Ai shook her head. "You know their history. I think they just need a few moments-"

"Tch' What's up with girls always waiting around? Just go." added Yusuke, swimming over to Ai's corner with Keiko close behind. She was surprised to see Yusuke being supportive, she didn't even know that he was aware of what was going on. Things must have been more obvious than she thought.

"Yeah, Ai. You can't let this chance pass you up!" said Keiko cheerfully. She grabbed onto Yusuke's shoulder for support in the water.

Kuwabara and Yukina soon swam over to add to the conversation. "He has a past with her but-" Yukina started

"He has a future with you!" finished Kuwabara. He grinned at her and flicked water off of his fingers in her direction.

Ai's face lit up. Their words were inspiring and uplifting, exactly what she needed. She can play small pranks and tricks on Maya all day long but it wont get her the time that she wants with Kurama. The only thing that she should be doing and should have done from the beginning is telling him what was currently resting on her chest. She stood up with a determined fist raised.

"I'm going!" she said with a smile to her supporters then dashed off to find and take Kurama for herself.

* * *

"I have something I wish to say to you Shuichi. I've been meaning to tell you for a while now."

He looked at Maya with uncertainty. The need to avoid the inevitable conversation was growing thicker but like cough syrup his words stuck in his throat. The feeling was actually strangely strong and more real than just this thoughts. He cleared his throat but the lining in his mouth only became more itchy and irritable. There was a strange pollen in the air that was invading the interior of the gazebo, he could see it landing in soft wisps against the plush. He unwillingly let out a cough.

"I've been thinking about you a lot."

He coughed again his eyes watering from the irritation.

"And I've gotten a lot of insight from a few people that I'm close with.."

Kurama covered his mouth with the side of his hand and continued his coughing fit. He looked at her from behind his hand with reddening eyes. He raised his opposite hand to cease her from sputtering even more words at him.

"Oh my, are you okay Shuichi?"

He shook his head. "Actually," he coughed again. "Would you please excuse me?" he raised his brows and coughed out more of the itching pollen. He needed to create an enormous amount of distance between himself and that spore infected gazebo. With his head hung and bowing apologetically to Maya he quickly pattered away from her, following the white cement trail to one of the offset island pools where it was spore free. Maya's jaw dropped and she let out a disappointed sigh. She smelled the air and looked around her to investigate what created his sudden allergic tantrum.

Kurama could feel his throat clearing and his eyes beginning to swell down. He wondered why he was the only one being targeted by this vicious attack from nature but his curiosity was immediately shot when he discovered a lone giggling ghost.

Kurama cleared his throat and Ai looked over her shoulder with a bright smile on her face. She sat at the edge of the pool with her feet soaking inside the pool. There was no one else around and he wondered if she scared them all away with some more silly tricks.

He crossed his arms and she bit her lip tauntingly, a rose in her smile. Her eyes were gleaming with mischief and she was daring him to scold her but he didn't. With just an exchange of stares, Ai raised her white dress over her head and tossed it to the side then slid herself slowly into the pool, the water swallowing her in it's deep blue body.

Small lights lit up beneath the pool that slowly changed between a gradient of colors. They played along the walls of the pool like a magnificent aurora being painted with invisible brushes. The sun was hiding nicely behind the mountains now and the moon was peeking its way up behind a cluster of sorbet clouds. It made the lights in the pool and in the lanterns shine like fire.

Kurama walked to the edge of the pool and Ai swam to the corner, meeting with his feet. She crossed her arms onto the pavement and rested her chin on them looking up at Kurama with dark eyes. They were inviting and clear.

He knelt down and stared down into her tantalizing gaze. He waved a finger from side to side "You are naughty." he said with a small smile forming at the corner of his mouth.

Her look didn't change, it was just as alluring and enticing as it was the moment he found her waiting for him. "Pranks are for the wicked."

"And you're a wicked ghost?"

"Revolting."

He chuckled. "Well, I'm convinced it's for the most important of motives."

"It is."

"May I inquire?"

She pretended to think about it then nodded her head.

"Your incentive for attacking me."

Ai unfolded her arms and grabbed onto the ledge with her feet supporting her against the pool's wall. She swished back and forth with her lips twisting to the side. "I've been waiting for you all day."

He smiled at her childlike behavior "My apologies, I'm quite popular. Many people require my attention."

She stared at him unamused which surprised him a little. He only said what he did to be playful but her stare made him feel as if he failed at his attempt to be what Yusuke excuses as confidence. And just as he felt like he made no connection she lifted herself up with her arms, her lower half remaining within the water. He could see the red straps wrapping around her body tightly and he blushed. The red looked perfect against her olive skin which glittered with small drops of water.

She lifted herself and leaned closely into his cheek. She was so close that he could smell her enticing aroma mixed with the chlorine from the pool waft off of her shoulders and wavy hair.

"But they can't have you." she whispered into his ear then wrapped her arms beneath his, her hands reaching up and holding his bare back, and pulled him down into the water with her.

Kurama was submerged in the water. He immediately lifted his head above the surface, swishing his hair out of his fascinated face. He gasped for air and searched for her beneath the dark water. The lights beneath the water were green now and provided little support for any visibility. Kurama turned around and met her eyes.

He noticed her not too long after she resurfaced. Her hair was wet and pieces clung to the sides of her face. The lights created a candlelight atmosphere around her and the moon was blue against her black hair.

There was a look on her face that he's never seen her make before. It was seductive and was tempting him to come closer, to reach out and caress her gently.

She slowly swam closer to him, filling in the space between them in just a few smooth strokes. The water broke around her and the lights changed the color in her eyes.

"You're a master of disguise." he said to catch his breath. He realized he wasn't breathing and needed to find proper footing to regain control of himself.

"So are you." she smiled at him with her teeth and he laughed recalling the photo that they took together.

"That's not a face I make commonly but I made an exception for you."

"Don't lie." Ai couldn't stop herself from giggling as she swam circles around him, using her feet to push against the grainy floor of the pool to swish around him fluidly. She didn't believe it.

"Oh, but it's true. I'd be lying if I said otherwise." He wanted her to say that he's the only exception as well, but he knew that wouldn't be true. Without her even specifying, he knew what her past consisted of and he wanted to take her away from it all. He wanted to erase all of her memories and all of her habits and create new ones with her so that she would make her own exceptions for him and only him.

Kurama grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him so that she would stop swiveling around him like a shark. He wasn't bait or a fish cornered waiting to get eaten, no. He was the predator, she just didn't know it yet.

He fingered the length of the X on her stomach, gently lifting it as he traced the material. The red suit pressed his finger tightly between her skin and the ribbon. Ai gasped, his touch sending shivers down her back in the heated water. Her cheeks turned red but she allowed him to line her body with his hand.

His eyes followed his finger, admiring the contrast of their skin against the bathing suit. "Red flatters you well, very well." he said bringing his eyes to hers.

They stared at each other for a while, savoring the color in their eyes. Kurama carefully removed his finger from beneath her strap so that it wouldn't snap painfully against her skin. That same hand grazed its way up her side, arm, shoulder, then neck. He twirled a strand of her hair in his finger like a spool of thread then unwound it against the bone of her shoulder.

"I've adhered to all of the conditions thus far between us Ai but there is one thing that I must request" his hand lowered but his stare remained on her neck.

Ai's heart beat hard in her chest. It pounded into her ears so loudly that she couldn't hear anything but his breathing. Her stomach filled with water butterflies and she could feel them swimming up and down the walls of her. They climbed out of her stomach and into the rest of her body, following the lingering sensation of his touch. It made her afraid that they might spill out her mouth.

"But first" he sighed and pulled away from her. " I must take care that there are no more interruptions."

"Shuichi! What are you doing all the way over here. I was wondering if you were okay." said Maya holding two bottles of water as she approached. He sensed her coming near and was genuinely upset with her incessant persistence. He would applaud her for how determined she was if it wasn't so irritating and distracting from his own objective. As thankful as he was for Ai's detours the conversation was inevitable and the only way for him to carry on with his night is for it to finally come to a conclusion. His idea of a romantic night ending in a perfect confession was deteriorating but he continued to aspire for a nice ending, trying to hold the pieces together so that the outcome will be up to his standards.

Kurama climbed out of the pool and grabbed a towel to pat himself dry. Water still dripped from the hem of his red swim trunks. He rejected her offer of the water bottle with a flat hand.

The water suddenly felt much colder to Ai now so she climbed out the opposite end of the pool. She protected herself from the night air with a towel before putting her dress on again then quietly watched with a decent amount of distance to assure them some privacy. She could hear the faint laughter from everyone at the main pool beneath the loudness of the blaring music and felt a little envious. Things were not going as planned because of that weird girl.

Kurama and Maya walked a small distance off to where a gazebo, similar to the one they stood in before, rounded the pool. They were too far for Ai to hear anything that they said but she could see them beneath the light of the lanterns.

"I-"

"I remember, Shuichi."

He looked at her with a certain amount of surprise in his eyes. With the way she was behaving he had assumed that pieces of her memory were resurfacing but he didn't believe that it was completely intact. He felt his heart race and his ears grow hot.

"I'm sorry?"

"I remember, everything." she came closer.

"Maya, I-"

she placed a finger gently over his lips, her eyes blurring behind a wall of tears. They were much more in the open than the pool was and people who passed by made short glances at them before quickly skittering off with their partners.

There were so many nights, when he dreamed for this to happen. So many times he wished for her to remember, wished that none of it ever happened and that she still loved him. And here she was about to tell him everything that he wanted to hear but his heart didn't feel the way he expected it to. It felt burdened.

"I was so scared.." she said, dropping her finger and letting her body tremble. She lowered her head and sobbed into her shoulder."I started to remember the more I saw you. I could feel that you were different. Just like your friends... I can feel their.. I don't know what it is. I can just feel their energy. It's what made my infatuation for you begin."

"You have a high spiritual perception.." he felt a little guilty now for avoiding this conversation, he thought that it would have been only another uncomfortable confession and proposal to date but it was now much more than that. His guilt placed a comforting hand on her shoulder but it only made an uncomfortable churning in his stomach.

She nodded her head. "I missed you, Shuichi." she cupped his face in her hand.

"_Kurama.. .no." _Ai took an uneasy step forward, squinting her eyes to try and better understand their situation. People passing by were getting in the way of the only clean shot she had of the couple. She could barely see them with how far away she was to begin with.

Maya leaned forward and suddenly pressed her lips against his. Kurama pulled his face back but she kept it close to hers and forced it to stay for their lips to connect. He could immediately feel the bead reacting inside him.

Time stopped in that moment.

Ai's heart dropped and broke on the floor from a sharp pain hitting her dead center in her chest. It felt like she swallowed a thousand needles but could somehow manage to breath in short painful gasps. Her throat tightened along with her chest and her arms went numb. She died a thousand deaths watching them kiss and in that moment she only hoped that she never made anyone feel this way. Love was humiliating her and she could feel loneliness and hatred slowly cradling her into an obscure darkness of her mind. The darkness clouded her vision but she managed to take another step before fainting into the pool with a loud splash.

* * *

**An Ai and Kurama short**

"What is that?"

Kurama looked over to where Ai was pointing to. Her finger directed his sight to a rental rack of bicycles. They were double seated with a nice hood that hovered over the seats to protect the riders from the rays of the sun along with the more traditional single seat bikes. There were many people already riding a few around the park happily.

"Ah, that's one of mankind's best inventions – the bicycle. Would you like to ride it?"

Ai nodded her head eagerly then followed behind him. Kurama rented out a dual seated bike with the roof and instructed Ai to sit besides him within the cart.

"This is actually not a common design for this type of machinery" he explained. He tapped his foot on the rotating handle beneath their feet. "This is the pedal. You push down on this and use the handles to steer." The bike only had one set of handles which were on Kurama's side.

Ai put her feet on the pedals and smiled.

"Good, just like that. Ready?"

"Yes~" she grinned and began to pedal in sync with Kurama. "Woah, we're moving!" she said excitedly.

He nodded his head and smiled at how easy it is to entertain her.

Ai rested her head on Kurama's shoulder.

He looked at her from the corner of his eye and blushed. He didn't mind her resting her head on his shoulder, in fact he thought it was cute, but they were suddenly receiving much more unwanted attention from the strangers around them. He cleared his throat.

She briefly peeked up at him then lifted her head off of his shoulder. "Sorry" she apologized with a small smile.

"It's quite alright. I simply would like to avoid certain gossip about myself."

"Gossip?"

He nodded his head. "Yes, I have a reputation to uphold as Shuichi Minamino in this Human Realm."

"Oh~ I see..." she was quiet for a while and it made Kurama uncomfortable. Did he say something wrong? He glanced over at her a few times then sucked in air to collect his thoughts.

"Are you offended?" he asked keeping his eyes on the pathway.

"Why would I be offended?" she raised a brow.

"A majority of my customers at the shop are women and if I'm seen-"

Ai suddenly reversed her momentum on the pedals and slammed them backwards. Kurama jerked forward and looked over at her with surprised eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing followed through. He was stunned.

Ai looked away but he could see the steam rising off of her head and a dark cloud hanging over her. She slowly turned to face him, her mouth tightly pulled into a grimace and her eyes were sharp. Her brow twitched subtly. "If you're seen, with me?" she said, with her teeth gritting slightly.

Kurama raised his hands up in defeat and smiled nervously. "That's not, well, what I'm trying to say is-"

Ai hopped off of the bicycle and crossed her arms "I don't care. You can ride your stupid bicycle back by yourself!" she kicked the tire of the bike with such a ghostly force that it began to tilt over. Kurama held onto the handlebars tightly and tried to stabilize the bicycle but it shook and couldn't grab enough traction off of the cement. He stuck his leg out of the cart to hold it up as it leaned against him. He sighed in relief but Ai gave it another rough kick, collapsing the bike on him unexpectedly.

She turned on her heel and walked off.

Kurama's phone was flooded with text messages from Kuwabara and Yusuke the next morning.

From: Kuwabara

"Heard you got your butt kicked by a girl at the park! What is that all about?! ヽ(●-`Д´-)ノ I can't be seen with you anymore man."


	15. fruStratEd - X

The door slid open and Ai looked up with startled eyes. A woman glared down at her with a blade held tightly in her right hand. Her eyes were sharp and tightly pulled back by the bun over her head. She wore blue robes that hung loosely around her. Ai could feel her mouth moving but she couldn't hear anything that she was saying. Only muffled and inaudible sounds fuzzed out of her mouth like white noise.

The woman clenched her jaw tightly. "Give her some space." she gritted the words out between her thin lips then raised the blade high above her head and slashed it down with a powerful thrust.

Ai shot up and hit her head hard against Kuwabara's face.

"Oww~!" Kuwabara grabbed his face and distanced himself from Ai, his eyes tearing up from the painful headbutt.

Yusuke laughed. "Told you, stupid monkey."

Ai rubbed her head, a small red egg forming between her forehead. Her eyes were puffy and red but she sucked up the tears and smiled a little. She was sitting up against the arm rest of a familiar sofa."What are you doing?" she asked, looking around at the eyes of her friends staring intently at her.

"You fainted." said Kurama, separating himself from the wall and emerging from between the group.

Ai only needed one look at him for all of the memories to begin flooding her head again. Her chest ached.

Keiko rushed to Ai's side with a glass of water and handed it to her. "I'm so glad you're awake now. How are you feeling?"

Ai touched the gap between her clavicle and felt the sides of her bones then traced it down to the middle of her chest. "It feels empty."

"Maybe, you need your bead back." added Yusuke, making a gesture with his thumb in Kurama's direction.

Kurama sighed and held open the front door. "Please, excuse us." he made an irritated glance in Yusuke's direction who only shrugged and walked over to Keiko's side and helped her up.

Ai placed the cup down.

"Hey, it's good to see you awake, Ai." he said with a small acknowledgment by raising his brows.

Keiko nodded her head then walked with Yusuke and exited the room.

Kuwabara began to make his leave with Yukina as well "How can a girl hit so hard?" he rubbed the sore spot on his head and Yukina waved to Ai "Recover quickly, Ai.".

Botan bowed her head quickly and nervously then opened a portal for herself. "Please make a report soon, Kurama." she smiled awkwardly with her teeth then left the two alone as requested.

Kurama closed the door then quietly walked around the sofa and took a seat besides her feet. He crossed his arms across his chest and said nothing.

They sat in silence for a while.

"How long have I been asleep?" Ai rubbed her eyes.

"Approximately seven hours."

She nodded her head then allowed the silence to take them again.

"How are you feeling?" she suddenly asked

He looked over at her curiously. "Quite disturbed."

She smiled and nodded her head. "Good."

He grimaced.

"You broke the rule." she began to chew at the inside of her mouth, picking pieces of her skin with the front of her teeth. "I'm not upset, though. It's my fault. I've over estimated our time together. You can return the bead as soon as it's done healing which should be in a few days. Then, I'll le-"

The weight from around her feet was relieved and Kurama was suddenly hovering over her with his knee in between her legs. His hands were on either side of her head and she was being held captive behind his arms. He stared down at her with a fiery intensity. "Leave?" he finished the lie for her but he had to. He couldn't stand hearing her talk like that, to speak so indifferently about something that he cared deeply for.

She turned her head away from him a blush rising in her cheeks.

The tips of his hair tickled the sides of her neck and exposed shoulder. "You're not curious?" he asked, tauntingly. He couldn't stay upset with her and he knew that she couldn't be with him.

She looked over at him from the corner of her eye, her face still turned away. She raised a brow questioningly.

"My request."

She bit the inside of her lip again to stop herself from smiling. She really couldn't stay mad at that face.

Her head nodded against his hand. She was painfully curious about what he was going to tell her before they were interrupted and it dissolved any anger that she had towards him. There was still a strong dislike for Maya, however.

He looked down at her and searched her face but she avoided his stare to conceal the interest in her eyes but he already knew. The red in her cheeks and the evasive behavior was all he needed to see for him to know that he had her tangled in his web. He could say anything now and she would open her ears to hear every word of it.

"When I return your bead.." he leaned down closer, his red hair pooling in the crevice of her clavicle. Ai was holding her breath, he was getting much closer than he's ever been before and it made her nervous. He tilted her head forward with the tip of his nose against her chin, directing her to look up at him and she did. Their eyes met and his held hers with amazing force. She couldn't take her eyes away from his no matter how hard she tried. Her mind became blank to everything around her except for those green eyes. It was like staring into a meadow. A perfect meadow where she wanted to live forever.

He hovered his lips above hers, the very tips of them barely grazing hers. "Remain by my side." he said into the small part between her lips then softly kissed her.

His lips were warm against hers and tasted like sunlight. It made her body warm and filled it with life until he slowly lifted his face away from hers. There were so many things that she wanted to say and to do right now but nothing would come out except for a small nod of her head in agreement. Her eyes searched his for any hint of deceit but there was nothing but the genuine green light.

Kurama stared down at the lithe form beneath him. He could see the faded red from beneath her white dress and it reminded him of how it looked against her olive skin. The way the water beads gleamed on her skin and his finger tracing the red against her body. His fingers were itching to touch her again. He remembered how he could see her small ribs as she lifted the white dress over her head; it made his body ache for her by just imagining how it would feel to rub his hands down her sides.

A hand smoothed against the side of her neck, resting at the nape like a warm cloth. He breathed calmly but his eyes showed wild desires and it made Ai excited to see what he would do to her. She slowly brought her hands up and moved chunks of hair out of his face, holding it back at the sides of his head.

With eyes shut, he slowly lowered his face to hers. He leaned in to press his lips softly against hers again but a painful, sharp thump forced him to back against the other side of the sofa. Kurama instinctively caressed the source of his pain.

Ai sat up with an expectant look on her face. She inched closer to him and quickly assessed his discomfort then shook her head. "My bead."

Kurama let out a deep breath and looked at her confused.

"It's not done healing from the last time you shared your ki, or energy, with another woman."

"We just kissed not too long ago." he said, remembering the smooth texture of her pink flesh.

She blushed and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Yes, but it's acting up now.."

He shook his head, not fully understanding. "Why?"

The blush in her face became more red and she uncomfortably looked away from him. "You must have been thinking about .. _mating."_

Kurama lifted the side of his hand to cover his mouth as he coughed to hide the embarrassment in his cheeks. "I assure you, that was not my intention."

Ai pouted "My bead doesn't lie."

Kurama remained silent for a while then looked away, slightly disappointed and embarrassed. He cleared his throat and tried to ask seriously "Exactly, why does the bead react that way?"

Ai crossed her arms against her chest and lifted a brow in his direction. "You've been defiled by another woman. Two separate energies entering one bead causes it to become unstable. It's my bead so there should only be my ki."

Kurama rubbed his chin "Yes, I was attacked by Maya... "

"Attacked? " Ai laughed at his explanation but let it off then moved closer to him. She bit her bottom lip and teasingly lifted the ruffled ends of her white dress higher up her legs for the lace to rest on her thighs. "If you can take the pain, we can try.."

He loved the way the white lace looked against her thighs, he wanted to push it further up and she was giving him an open invitation to do so. Kurama released a deep breath then rested his hand on her knee, slowing advancing it up to her thigh. He leaned in for another kiss but was only thwarted again.

He removed his hand, becoming frustrated.

Ai sucked in her bottom lip and gave Kurama another look, luring him to give it another shot. He obeyed but this time he placed his hands on either side of her head and prepared himself. They closed their eyes and he tilted his head going in again but only reeled back in pain. He dropped his hands and sighed. He was exasperated beyond his endurance. The ache in his body that yearned to touch her was replaced by his ruined mood and inability to service his need. He stood up and sat further away from her.

"Let's pursue an unlike activity."

She nodded her head.

"Kurama?"

He looked over to her, the defeat still lingering on his face. "Hm?"

"I.." her voice trailed off into her thoughts.

Kurama waited for her to finish before prompting her again, "Yes, Ai?"

She nervously pulled on a piece of her hair and looked over at him from across the sofa. She wished that he was closer but understood that it was hurting him to be near her right now. It made her wonder if what she was doing was okay, if it was alright for them to develop their relationship further. She will eventually become a pile of dust and leave him but was that enough of a reason for her not to love him? Was what they had so special that Kurama was willing to go through the pain of loss, again, just for her? She wanted to say that she loves him but decided against it.

"I want pizza." she smiled at him. He looked at her curiously before returning the smile and making the order on his phone.

* * *

Ai watched her feet pass against the many different shapes on the floor on the side walk. It was colder out now so she stopped wearing her dresses that she liked so much. However, over her shirts and small fall jackets, she would occasionally still wear Kurama's plaid shirt over her own outfit. Juri has made comments about how they don't always make her uniform but it didn't matter to Ai. The shirt smelled like him and that was all that she wanted; the comfort and belief that he was lingering around her like a ghost.

She ignored the foot steps that were following behind her until she realized that they were not ordinary footsteps of random bystanders. The footsteps have been following her since she left Juri's apartment and would even stop when she did. It was peculiar.

Ai turned around but didn't see anyone suspicious or out of the ordinary. If anything, the man with bright red hair and a small blue cap on the middle of his head reading a newspaper caught her eye. The hair reminded her of Kurama, but it definitely wasn't him behind the ink printed paper. She smiled at the thought of him and continued to walk, searching for pizza fliers. Juri had to leave for class but while she was preparing for school, Ai was rummaging through her goods and found an interesting flier. It claimed that if four of the same flier is collected, each with different coupon codes, the customer can receive a free medium pizza with no purchase. Juri let her have the piece of paper, which was the best thing to occupy her time until her date later with Kurama in the evening.

Ai smelled the piece of paper then tried to sniff out the rest in the air but her senses were so dull without her bead that she had nothing but pure gut instinct to rely on. It was a little depressing but she was determined to find at least one of the collectible fliers. She was sure that she would get pizza either way, it was the hunt that got her hooked.

She crossed the street, looking against the light posts and electrical poles but finding nothing. She sighed and looked around at all of the strange images and uneventful information stapled and taped across the walls of Japan. Ai looked behind her and saw the red haired man, still reading his paper. She furrowed her brow and looked around her suspiciously. She was pretty sure that she walked a good distance away from him the last time she turned so why was he behind her again.

The red haired man peeked over the rim of the newspaper, briefly exposing his blue eyes before quickly hiding behind the gray sheets when he met her eyes. Ai turned back around and continued on her way, more aware and taking note of the man who was obviously following her.

The man watched her turn a corner and quickly rounded it to catch up with her but she was nowhere in sight. He looked around confused then smelled the air. His pointed ear twitched. He could smell her but why couldn't he see her? The man thought for a second then looked up and was greeted by her red shoes in his face.

"Kyah~!" he yelled shielding his face with his arms from the heel of her shoes.

Ai plopped down on him, shoving him to the ground with the weight of her body. She stepped over him and crossed her arms, staring down at his flattened body. "Who are you?! Why are you following me?!" she tapped the top of his head with her toes, urging him to answer her.

He slapped at her foot and began to recuperate from the ground. His red hair was wild around his face, shaggy and thick. He wore a simple white shirt beneath a blue jacket and a pair of blue jeans. Ai noticed his sharp snaggle-tooth and small horn in the middle of his head.

The demon reached around for his blue cap then quickly placed it over his horn, looking around cautiously to ensure that no one else saw. "Aye, is that how yer peoples greet nowadays?" he said with a quirky smirk.

She remained silent and only stared at him confused. She just jumped on his head, smashed him into the ground, and he's smiling. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear anxiously. "Why are you following me?"

He looked her up and down then crossed his arms. "Yer Kurama's friend ya? I can tell, ya gots the smell of him all over ye."

Ai slowly nodded her head, not completely sure if she understood everything he said through his thick strange accent. She only nodded her head hoping that it was the correct answer.

"Good, good. The names Jin, ya think it'd be no problem to take me to him? A'few questions a'mine need some answerin' and he's surely gotta have ta answers."

"Hm, I don't know.." she said, pulling on her bottom lip. "I'm not going to see him till later and I kinda want to find these fliers-" she held it up to look at but he snatched it out of her hand. "No!" she reached for it but he easily held it out of her reach. He was much taller than her. "Give it back!"

He looked at the flier above his head, trying to read it from the awkward position that it had wrinkled into when he grabbed it. "Hmm. Pizza huh? I'll help ya find the rest'a these papers if ya take me to the lil fox. How 'bout it, deal?" he handed her the flier and smiled at her with his snaggle at the corner of his lips. That tooth was driving her crazy. It was so out of place and random, much like his hair, that she wanted to file it down or rip it out of his mouth.

She folded the piece of paper and stuffed it in her back pocket. "How do I know you're even helpful?"

He laughed. "Helpful is this wee lads middle name!" he suddenly wrapped an arm under hers and squeezed her tightly against him. "Dont'cha let go less you want to fall'n hit yer head." he said before leaping into the air and bursting through the barrier of gravity like a bubble.

Ai gasped but her eyes lit up with the increasing light from the sky. Only a few seconds ago she was on the ground but now her feet were in the air and this crazy haired demon was showing her the small of the town. She held onto him tightly and breathed in deeply. The air smelled so nice high up that she would willingly fall out of his arms, just to feel it press and surround her, if she wasn't afraid of dying (again).

"Wow!" she exclaimed.

Jin looked at her with a bright smile. Her cheeks were flushed but he admired the way her eyes lit up with the blue in the sky. The way that she was smiling made him feel good, as if he was fulfilling one of her most desired wish.

Jin didn't realize how close she was to him until he could easily smell her perfume. It was light and sweet like peaches on a breezy summer day. He blushed and looked away, slowly descending. "See, helpful." he said, tickling her with the ends of his hairs by shaking his head in her face.

She puffed air out from her mouth to keep the strands away from her. "We'll see."

* * *

Kurama flipped a switch to activate the mist which began to spray out from the white pipes that lined the ceiling. The mist watered the smaller plants and shrubs in the green house effortlessly.

He walked over to the full hydrangea bush and petted a bright blue flower. The mist covered the petals so perfectly it made the blue seem even more flawless. It was in full bloom now, and there were many round bulbs and completed flowers bunching together in icy patches. It was the same blue that possessed his mind for so long, it gave him a huge sense of fulfillment and triumph to have mastered the color. Blue was a common color among that type of flower but never in the likes such as this and he was the only person in the world who will ever have it. Ai would come in just to water the plant, it was a manifestation of their growing feelings for each other.

He noticed his shop becoming more popular because of their display as well. Many people he's never seen before have inquired about the plant. There have already been a few offers on the bush but he rejected them all.

Kurama could see a resemblance in the flowers to Ai. They were blue and cold but there was so much energy and life in them that he never felt sad looking at them. Quite the contrary, actually. He's come to associate the flower with Ai which made him feel extremely happy when caring for the flowers. He even caught his heart beat speeding up one time as he was tending to the rebellious branches.

He leaned down and kissed one of the blue flowers, feeling it's soft surface against his lips. The petals were tasteless like water but there was a sweetness at the tip of his tongue left over from last night. He loved the taste of her. It was sweet, alive and warm. It's the most delicious taste ever. It's only been a few hours since she was last with him, he's been working for a while now but her flavors are still right there in his mouth. They lingered around the walls, teasing but supplying his drug.

He wondered what she was doing and if she was going to visit him today. Last night he offered to meet up with her after work, as an official date. He planned to take her on a Ferris-wheel and show her the lights of the city from the best view in town. The only time she was able to look upon them was from the forest and he wanted to change that memory into something that he could have with her.

Kurama was thinking about other things to show her when his phone beeped, signaling an incoming message. He pulled out his phone and looked at the words that displayed on his screen.

"**1 New Message**  
Maya "


	16. Realization

Kurama closed up the shop, ignoring the loud beeping sound coming from his pocket. He knew that it was another message from Maya but he only wanted to ignore her. Although he cared for her, he no longer felt the same way that she did.

His phone began to sing his incoming call ring tone. It vibrated against the side of his thigh in his pocket. Kurama looked at the small lit screen: "Maya" two small bars were beneath her name: "Answer, "Ignore".

He allowed it to ring for a little while, feeling blameworthy for the string of emotions that she must be feeling right now. Erasing her memory was the only thing that he could think of to spare her the horrors of her kidnap and now she was experiencing all of those feelings at one time. She was only reaching out to the one person who she knew could protect her. With so many demons walking around casually now, her spiritual perception has become more of a curse than a gift.

Kurama hesitantly pressed the green "Answer" button.

"Hello"

* * *

Ai held the fliers close to her chest, content and happily rubbing them into her shirt. "Ah~!" she said, taking in a deep breath.

Jin smiled and looked over to her with a slight downward tilt. She was so much smaller than him, as many other people are, but he didn't make that connection. It seemed different with her, as if she was a small vulnerable child that he was destined to protect. He patted the top of her head.

She pulled her head away from him. Jin and Ai were getting along quite easily. He reminded her of Yusuke but more tall? She really couldn't find much of a difference between the two. Jin was a little more playful but she was sure that Yusuke was at his best when he was alone with Keiko.

"Thank you for helping me find these." she said without fixing her hair from the static mess he created at the top of her head. She began to fold the fliers.

"No'problem lassy. Any more of yer silly games?" he asked with a smile.

Ai pushed her hair out of her face, her bangs squaring at the sides.

"Well, don't you want to meet Kurama? I'm meeting him-"

Jin blew a small breath in her direction and fixed the front of her hair. "Ofa'course." he interrupted. He was a little sad for their time to be cut so short and wanted to hang around her a little longer but he did have a purpose for visiting the Human Realm and it was nice of her to remind him.

They walked to a nearby park where they waited on top of an empty bridge. The small line of water, suffocated by rocks, crackled beneath them.

"Uh-oh, looks likes yer stuck wit'a me till he shows up, hmm?" He said playfully, leaning against the wooden railing.

"Don't say that, you're nice company." she said, sitting on the railing beside him.

He blushed then stuck a pointy finger in his ear nervously twisting it around. He balled a chunk of wax then flicked it out of his ear where it disappeared off of the bridge.

Ai grimmaced. "That's gross."

They laughed.

* * *

Kurama walked with his hands in his pockets as he approached Maya who was waiting for him near the river bank of the town. She wore a light white dress that reached past her knees. It was a little loose around her body and it swished with the growing wind.

He sighed and reached her, holding out his phone and looking at the time. "Two minutes." He was cold but maybe it would help her deduce that he had no interest in her the way she fancied him.

"Is that all the time you can spare for me?" she said turning to him with desperation in her eyes.

"One minute and forty seconds."

"Shuichi!" she stomped her foot and felt the warmth of tears clouding at the sides of eyes.

"One minute, twenty five seconds." He was on a tight schedule. He glanced up at her from his phone. "Your time is expiring, speak your mind."

She brushed her hair behind her ear then let out a loud sigh. "Fine. I want you to be with me, Shuichi."

"You informed me that all of your memories have emerged."

She nodded her head.

"Then you can recall my previous answer. "

"Shuichi!" she was appalled by his cold demeanor. This was not the Shuichi that she remembered.

"What happened to you?" she said, taking a step forward. "Is it that weird girl? She has no aura, like she's dead. Did you know that, Shuichi?"

"Forty seconds."

"Shuichi."

"Thirty two."

"Please, look at me. I can't live like this."

He looked at her and could see the sadness in her eyes but continued to count down. "Twenty."

Her heart shook and she couldn't bare to look at him any longer. She turned away from him and let the time strike away, giving up.

"Three, two, one." he pocketed his phone. "Let's not do this again, Maya. You're experiencing an emotional delay caused by the sudden recall of the traumatic event. Please, remember that you are not in that time any longer" he said turning to walk away. He truly did care for her but a relationship between them wasn't going to work and she was no longer the person he wished to be with. If he could spare her the pain of an unrequited love, that would be an even better gift than erasing her memory again. The only thing that he could ask from her is for her to live her life comfortably and happily without him. His choices would make more sense to her then.

It hurt him a little treating her this way but it was necessary for him to get his point across. He only took a few steps away until he heard a loud splash. His heart jumped into his throat as he quickly turned around and couldn't see Maya anywhere.

He ran to where she was standing and stripped his brown jacket off before diving into the river after her.

He could see her slowly dropping to the bottom of the blue liquid. He dove for her and grabbed her arm awakening her from her death wish. She opened her eyes beneath the water and tried to tug her arm away from him. He furrowed his brow and forcefully pulled her up and out of the water onto the rocky sides of the body of water.

She immediately flopped around on the ground, gasping for air. Angry fists smacked against Kurama's back and shoulders.

"Why?! Just let me die!" she screamed at him before slowly melting into a ball of sobs, her attack fading into small smacks then eventually slippery hands pressing against him.

Kurama allowed her to hit him. He wasn't going to fight the damaged girl. Even with her most strongest strike, it only felt like a pat against his body which he felt he deserved anyway. He didn't want her to commit suicide, or even contemplate the thought. He felt completely reprehensible for her behavior.

He waited for her to calm down and stop her futile assault on him.

She took deep breaths between sobbing hiccups then looked over at him. Guilt was riddled all over his face, and it made her happy to see that she could still get a rise out of him, even if it wasn't the one she wanted. He stared at her with the intensity of a green light.

He sighed then pulled her into a comforting hug. She pressed her face against his wet chest and cried into him.

* * *

The sun was setting much quicker now, and Kurama still hasn't showed up.

Ai and Jin adventured down to beneath the bridge to catch tad pools and look at the other interesting things that existed beneath them.

Jin noticed the park emptying of people and felt a little bad for Ai. She was obviously not as cheerful as she was earlier in the day. "Where's yer man at?" he nudged her in the side.

She splashed water off of her fingers into his face. "He will be here."

He could hear the disappointment in her voice but smiled to keep the energy up. "Ya know, ya dint havta lie to me. If ya wanted to spend more time with the fantastic Jin ye only had ta ask." he grinned and tried to tickle her sides.

She smiled but lowered his advance on her by gently swiping his hands away from her body. "Keep on dreaming." she threw a bunch of crumpling leaves at him and watched as he instinctively closed his eyes from the shredded pieces. The brown and orange chunks messed into his fiery hair.

"Aye! It's no dream lassy. Take a gander around, we the only party in this ol'park."

They came out from beneath the bridge and it was much darker than Ai imagined. The light posts were shining pale yellow lights down onto the walkways and there were no more children in the playground, no more strange men walking their dogs, or young folk enjoying walks with cones of ice cream. The green ground was flooded with orange and brown leaves that crunched in the wind.

She sat on the bridge, her back pressing against the wood that protected her from a backwards fall. Jin sat beside her.

"He'll be here." she said again, closing her eyes.

* * *

Kurama dried his hair with a small white towel in the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror then grabbed his brown coat and exited the small white room.

Maya laid in the bed, her body turned on the side and stared at the digital clock on the night stand. Her hair was tied up in a wet knot but her body was dry beneath the sheets.

"You're leaving?" she said without looking at him.

"Yes." he said, dressing in his brown leather jacket.

"You're leaving me?"

"I trust that you wont attempt another suicide." he said calmly. He opened the door to leave the dark motel, his eyes sunken in grief and upset with the recent events that have seemed to spiral out of control.

"Wait."

He looked at her from over his shoulder. The sympathy drained by his lack of temperament. She exhausted him and he just wanted to go home. It was a little hard for him to believe that he once harbored strong desire for this woman. She was so weak.

"I'm sorry.."

Kurama stared at her for a moment but said nothing, eventually closing the door behind him and dismissing her apology for a halfhearted attempt at keeping him by her side. There was only one person that he wanted to keep by his side and she was waiting for him at the park.

He looked at the digital symbols on his phone and nearly choked at the sight of the time. He was late, extremely late. Kurama ran as fast as he could while looking as humanly normal as possible to the park where he said he would meet with her a few hours ago. He ran beneath the many lamp posts, his body transitioning from red beneath pale yellow lights and darkness.

Kurama was halted to a peculiar walk as he approached the bridge and saw Jin sitting besides a napping Ai. Her head was resting on his shoulder and Jin had his cheek pressed against the top of her head.

Jin slowly peeked his eyes open and looked up Kurama who's face was flushed. He put a pointy finger to his lips and motioned to Ai's sleeping face with his brows.

"Yer late." he said in a whisper.

Kurama stared down at them a little longer before coolly placing his hands in his pockets to hide his uncomfortable desire to lift Ai away from him and carry her home.

"Ah, Jin. What graces your visit to the Human Realm?" Kurama asked, not minding to whisper as Jin had.

Jin made a disappointed face. "To spend time with'a this lovely lass o'course." he said jokingly. Jin and Kurama were on friendly terms but Kurama wasn't going to welcome him pulling his charismatic charm on Ai like that.

Kurama smoothed his hand against his forehead to suppress aggravated wrinkles from appearing then bent down and lifted Ai up and away from Jin. He laid her in his arms, holding her upper body as upright as possible to ensure that she was comfortable in the bridal hold, enough to continue sleeping. Her legs dangled off of his forearm.

Jin immediately stood up and crossed his arms at Kurama's behavior. "Aye, what's that all 'bout man?"

Kurama flipped his slightly damp hair out of his face, his hands occupied by Ai's supple frame. "I thank you for keeping Ai company while I was away and I'm pleasantly surprised to see you. Surely, you have more pressing matters to attend to?"

"Actually, I don't" he lied. Kurama's behavior was peculiar and it was slightly irritating how he suddenly came and whisked Ai away from him like that. He was comfortable with her resting her head on his shoulder, and he was content with her besides him, there was no need for him to suddenly relieve him of her. He spent the entire day with her and was really starting to like her. Jin was a little offended. "You look a wee bit famished there boy, hand the lass over. I'll carry her for ye." Jin opened his arms and cradled them beneath her, expecting him to pass her over.

Kurama turned her away from him. "That's not necessary."

Jin followed him with his arms "Ah! But 'course it-is! Yer all drippin' wet, we must be careful to not drop the lil lady." Jin grabbed her arm and tried to pull her out of Kurama's arms but he gripped onto her tightly.

"No, really. Your help is not required." Kurama said firmly with a hard stare into Jin's blue eyes.

Jin reeled back, thinking about another approach.

They were both startled by Ai arching her back up and turning uncomfortably in Kurama's arms.

They watched in quietly, hoping not to wake her but the ruckus already took its toll. She made a weary moan then rubbed her eyes open.

She slipped out of Kurama's arms as she would like a high bed then looked at him with squinting eyes. "You're late." she said.

Jin immediately patted her head and smoothed her hair back down into it's proper place. "Waky waky lassy, yer knight in shinin' armors here." he said with a giant grin.

She raised a brow at him then smiled, her eyes adjusting to the night being filtered by the artificial light from the lamps. "Oh, did you ask Kurama your questions?" she said, looking from one to the other.

Kurama mentally grabbed Jin by the collar of his shirt and punched him into the ground. "Questions?" he said, looking at Jin with an expectant expression.

"Aye! Right.. questions." He looked at the fake plastic wristwatch banded around his arm. "Hm, lets save 'em for the morn'. It's already sooo~ late." he made a glance over at Kurama. "How 'bout we talk 'bout it wit pizza 'n a'nice cupa'tea!" he suddenly reached into Ai's pockets and pulled out the fliers.

"Hey!" she wiggled away from him but he already grabbed all four.

Kurama squinted his eyes, unamused.

"I'll catch ya in the morn'!" he said jumping into the air and levitating for his final message. He winked in Ai's direction then flew away into the navy blue night.

She watched him fly away like a jet plane, recalling her moment in the air with him.

Ai turned to Kurama, who looked relieved, and pointed at where Jin flew to. "Kurama, can you jump like that?" she looked at him with hopeful eyes.

His face dropped a little at her comment but he smiled anyway his plan finally being set into motion. "I can do something even better." he held out his hand to her.

She grabbed his hand. "Heh, oh yeah?"

They walked to the pier that was attached to the park. Not many people were out and it was about to close down for the public when they arrived. He had intended to expose her to the human crowd of a festival but the unfortunate events that happened with Maya took up much more time than he anticipated.

"Where are we going?" asked Ai, looking around at the emptying booths and lone lights. She could smell the beach waves and salty water that saturated the dirt beneath the wooden planks.

She squeezed his hand tightly, the water making her nervous.

He held her hand tightly in his and lead her to a giant round wheel, decorated with flashing lights and dangling cages. She stared into the lights and her eyes watered. It was beautiful, it reminded her of the lights that she stared upon, desperately wishing to be where they were, when she was in the forest.

She looked at Kurama, he could see the happiness welling in her eyes.

They didn't wait in line for a long time at all, he bought their tickets upfront and were soon boarding the ferris wheel. She was nervous and hesitantly stepped inside the cage but Kurama assured her that she would be safe.

"What is this?" she asked, touching the sides.

"A Ferris-Wheel." he said, taking a seat across from her.

"Will it make us fly?"

He nodded his head. "Yes, so be sure to look beneath you."

She patted her feet against the metal frame excitedly as their cage began to rotate upwards.

The machine stopped them at the very top of the wheel where they could easily see all of the white and yellow lights beneath them in the city. They looked like the bottles of glitter that Juri had on her cosmetics desk but scattered all across the city with a brilliant glow.

"It's beautiful" said Ai, mesmerized by the lights beneath them.

Kurama looked at the lights to her. He could see the pastel colors paint over her skin like fading stages lights. "Yes, it is." he said unable to look away from the spectrum of colors reflecting off of her.

He gently traced a finger across the side of her neck where a round blue light spotted her skin.

She continued to look beneath them but he could see red blush erode at her chest and rise up to her cheeks.

"Kurama"

he withdrew his hand and she looked over at him, the blush still creeping around her cheeks,

"I wish this will never end..."

The lights flashed against one side of her face.

He looked at her and smiled through the lights. He leaned forward across the small gap between their knees. "It doesn't have to." he said, snapping a picture of them with his phone.

She giggled, feeling tears stinging her eyes. He could see them threatening to pull through and was a little confused.

"Ai?"

She was so happy but knew that it will never last. Even when she is with Kurama in the air, looking down at the lights, her imminent doom was always at the back of her mind. She felt guilty for allowing herself to continue to fall in love with Kurama and for allowing him to love her.

She rubbed the tears away and sniffled a little. "I'm just happy." she said with a small smile. "I'm happy that I met you."

He couldn't read the cryptic message behind her words but knew that something was wrong.

Kurama grabbed her hand in his and kissed it gently.

The ride ended and the exited the cart with their hands entwined within each others. They walked home in silence a majority of the time but they were content with the quiet brushes of leaves skittering pass their feet against the pavement and leaves slapping against the wind.

* * *

"You can go on ahead, I'll meet you inside." he said with a smile. There has been someone following them for a while now, and he wasn't interested in involving her or inviting the stalker into his apartment.

She nodded and quietly made her way up the steps and entered the apartment. Kurama had a feeling it would be Jin but was surprised to see a bald monk jump down from a nearby tree. The monk clumsily landed on his side but quickly stood up to take a defensive stance.

Kurama could immediately sense a strange energy emitting from the young man, but it was nothing impressive.

"You're a demon." said the man, slowly approaching him.

Kurama said nothing but stood his ground. The young man was obviously no threat.

"My name is Zhanshi and I am here to right my wrongs." he said bowing before Kurama. He straightened and looked at Kurama, a little frightened.

"I don't understand." said Kurama, urging the strange bald man to continue.

Zhanshi took in a deep breath and looked around cautiously before continuing. "I left my master temporarily to alert you. It seems you've grown strong feelings for the ghost."

"Ai." he corrected.

Zhanshi coughed and apologized for being too frank. "Well, I would urge you to stop while you're ahead. I sabotaged her choices... and... now she will.." Zhanshi balled his fists at his side and began to tear up. He felt terrible for what he did. After watching the progression of their relationship and how well she has simulated into the modern world, he was the one to blame for her wrongfully taking the potion. "Because of me.." he looked to the floor, unable to meet Kurama's serious gaze. "..she will die .."

It was like being hit by a bullet. Kurama was confused and hurt. Where did this suddenly come from? Not too long ago he was kissing her hand, holding her as she slept, and even enjoying a nice ride with her in a ferris wheel and now this strange bald man is telling him that she is going to die? Didn't she just promise that she will remain by his side?

But this was not the time to be emotional. He collected his thoughts and wrapped his emotions up with a string of logic and did what he does best; damage control.

Kurama pocketed his hands and glared down at the man with a condescending stare. "What exactly transpired." he asked the question more as a demand for an answer.

Zhanshi began to tremble and took a step away from Kurama, a little afraid of being eaten alive. "I.. I.. she.. drank.. the potion.. she should be slowly remembering her past tragedy.. her... her death.. once she remembers how she was wrongfully taken from her world she will be blessed and forgiven by the gods and reincarnated...My master says that he could feel her force slowly deteriorating which means she is remembering!"

"Is there anyway to stop its progression?"

"My master says that the memories normally emerge through dreams but... no.. there's not really anything that we can do..and-"

Kurama raised a hand to silence him. "How long?

"What?"

"How much longer does she have?"

Zhanshi tried to remember how long ago he gave her the potion then started to count on his fingers. "I can't say for sure, maybe a few more days. I don't know how much she remembers.."

Kurama turned away, his hands tightening into fists inside his pockets.

Zhanshi took a step back "Master Jang will be looking for her. He will find her at all costs. I'm sorry. He's looking for me, I can't be seen talking to you.." he quickly retreated, leaving Kurama with nothing more but the small briefing about her current situation.

It must be a fib, thought Kurama. There's no way that she could ever leave him, they needed each other, and he still had her bead. He opened the door to his apartment and walked in on Ai casually sitting on the sofa. She looked over at him and smiled, breaking his heart.

He couldn't imagine not seeing that face anymore but he remained calm and sat besides her and she rested her head on his shoulder. She handed him a book that sat on the coffee table besides them and he obediently opened it up and began to read to her, like he did plenty of nights before and it will always be like this. There is no way that he could imagine his nights being any different than having her by his side.

"Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears.  
"After all this time?"  
"Always," said Snape."

* * *

**An Ai and Kurama short.**

They sat in the small corner table in the ice cream parlor, their paper cups filled to the brim. Ai chose an orange sorbet flavor for the first time and was so delightfully surprised by the tangy sweetness that she only looked up at Kurama a few times with her mouth stuffed with the creamy ice.

Kurama had an original vanilla cup. He didn't like to deviate from his normal practices and it was a constant favorite of his.

He looked around the parlor and noticed many couples in that day. There was one couple in particular that caught his attention. The girl had a small pink plastic spoonful of her chocolate ice cream hovering over her boyfriend's mouth. He dutifully opened his mouth and allowed her to feed him a scoop of her ice cream. They laughed together harmoniously and Kurama smiled at their genuine happiness.

He coughed and made obvious glances over to their table.

Ai looked up from her cup and noticed the couple as well.

Kurama leaned over their table slightly and cleared his throat to get her attention back to where it belonged. He opened his mouth and looked at her expectantly.

Ai looked from Kurama to the couple in the table then down to her ice cream cup.

"Oh, I'm sorry Kurama."

He raised his brows and looked down at her ice cream cup which was empty. He closed his mouth and sat back down, embarrassed.

She smiled then eyed the vanilla ice cream that he still had. She mimicked him and leaned over the small table with her mouth open.

Kurama scooped some of the contents onto his small spoon and held it up between them. He brought it closer to her mouth then suddenly turned it around and ate it himself.

Ai laughed then reached out to grab his spoon but he moved his head away, smiling.

He grabbed his cup and held it out of her reach as she tried to stick her spoon inside his cup.

She rested back into her seat with a playful irritation on her face. "Tease." she said giving up the fight.

He licked his lips then scooped more of the vanilla onto his spoon. "I apologize. Here." he brought the spoon to her mouth and she ate it happily. A small piece of the ice cream smeared onto her bottom lip from the round of the spoon.

She smiled, delighted with the creamy taste in her mouth but Kurama was distracted with the white on her lip.

"Do girls do that purposely?" he suddenly asked, his face no longer playful.

She tilted her head. "Hm?"

"The oblivious act." He lifted out of his seat and leaned over the table so that their faces were only inches apart. She blushed and dropped her spoon into her empty paper cup. He tilted her chin up to make her face him then sucked the melting ice cream off from her bottom lip then gently smoothed his thumb across it, erasing any remnants that he didn't clean with his tongue.

He sat back down in his seat, crossing his legs.

The couple that they observed earlier were now looking at them with their jaws dropping to the floor.


	17. Maya's choice

** Authors Note:**

Oh! so the deification is about to hit the oscillation, I'm so excited. How about my readers? Yaay!

* * *

The second Makai tournament was rounding the corner much quicker than anyone had even realized. They have been so wrapped up in enjoying their summer that fall was like a train that smacked them right in the face. The days were much shorter now but the boys trained hard without much of a break. Jin, along with Touya, had requested friendly sparring with Team Urameshi to prepare for the tournament.

They stood outside in the long field behind Genkai's shrine. It was their only safe spot to train. After she passed away and gave it to Yusuke, it became their go to spot for almost everything.

Hiei tightened the white band around his fists and made a few swipes with his sword in the air to, examining the way his sword cut through the transparent walls. The plan was for Hiei and Kurama to team spar against Jin and Touya. Initially it was Yusuke and Kurama but Hiei wouldn't take no for an answer. He complained that his training thus far has been insufficient and this was finally an opportunity for him to fully exert himself. Kurama reminded him that this was a sparing match.

Kurama took a leave of absence from work, explaining that he had business to take care of to his human family. They didn't question him, knowing that he will return. He always did. This opened up Kurama's schedule immensely. This way he was able to train more heavily but still keep Ai at his side. After the new information, that he has yet to confront her about, he didn't want to take her out of his sight.

"Want'a see something fantastic?!" asked Jin, standing closely beside Ai.

She sat against a tree, huddling close into her sweater. The wind was blowing hard. Nature was trying to make the world naked so that it could kill and regrow for next spring and everyone was feeling it's force.

Ai smiled up at him and nodded her head. Jin held his arms out then circled them around Ai as if he was pulling the air around her. She could feel the coldness leaving her like a giant ventilation system. Her goosebumps disappeared and she was comfortably sitting in her own bubble of warm air.

Jin breathed out and let the bubble warp around her.

He dropped the shield when Touya smacked him in the back of the head. "It's not the time for silly games Jin, we are sparring against Hiei and Kurama." Needless to say, Touya held the two men in high respects. After his dual with Kurama, his perspective on life changed and he aspired to become an even worthier foe for the fox.

Jin hunched his shoulders and rubbed the back of his head. "Aye." was all he said embarrassed. He gave Ai a friendly wink then ran back to the field where the sparring would take place.

This would be the first time for Ai to see Kurama actually fight. She was excited and was sure that he was exceptionally well at it.

Jin slowly lifted his feet off of the ground, a whirl of wind surrounding him to cast the power of levitation while Touya summoned his ice cutlass on his right arm. His swordsmanship was not likely up to par with Hiei's but he needed something to defend himself against the small man's sharp blade.

Kurama revealed a rose from behind his hair, like a magician, and transformed it into his Rose whip.

"Keep in mind, this is only a spar." he said, making a glance to his companion.

"Hn, keep in mind that Jin is making eyes at your woman."

"That's inappropriate, Hiei." Kurama shook his head and rubbed his forehead.

Hiei ignored his comment and started the battle by rushing into the two men.

Jin's face lit up with excitement as Hiei swiped his sword at their heads.

"Woah!" shouted Jin, easily dodging the attack. Touya wedged his way in between Hiei's recovering form and Jin's retreating one and held up his cutlass to defend against Hiei's rapid attack.

Touya froze selective air molecules into three icicles that appeared behind Hiei's head. The icicles sharpened themselves at the tips then prepared to fire into Hiei's back but Kurama destroyed them out of the air before they were able to propel out of the air with sharp roses.

Touya grimaced then pushed Hiei away from him with his cutlass and made quick jabs in his direction.

Kurama tried to get closer to Hiei and Touya while dodging Jin's wind attacks across the field. Kurama made it an objective to take out Touya first, that way him and Hiei could focus on Jin as an individual instead of fighting separate battles simultaneously. It would defeat the purpose of a team sparring event.

Jin made an aggravated face at Kurama's agility. He wasn't able to hit him when the fox was moving so quickly through the fields. He descended at his side, flanking him and drilling a wind-tunneled fist in his direction. Kurama jumped out of the way and ignored his pursuer, his eyes on his objective. With every step that he took to get closer to Hiei and Touya, Jin made an attempt to stop him. It was getting too much for Kurama to stand. He was only a few meters away now but Jin threw everything at him.

Kurama swung his whip around him as he ran, scattering an impressive amount of rose petals up into the air heading straight for Jin.

Jin recognized this attack as a paralysis trick and stopped in his tracks. He could see the rose petals flying in his direction. He took in a deep breath then blew out a gust of wind to send the rose petals out of his path. He laughed at his attempt to freeze him but his eyes nearly bugged out of his face when he saw Kurama attacking Touya with Hiei.

"Gah~ clever lil fox yew are!" he said, blasting through the air and heading straight for the crowd.

Kurama counted the seconds in his head to when Jin would make contact. In between that small amount of time he viciously released an all out assault on Touya who was beginning to have difficulty dodging their attacks. It only took him one slip up to get punched hard in the face and sent flying across the field to get slammed into the trunk of a tree. His back bent to the form of the cylinder tree. His body slid to the floor.

Jin's head went crashing into the back of Hiei's neck, giving him reversed whiplash while Kurama jumped to avoid Hiei's slashing retaliation.

In a matter of seconds Touya was back up, ready for more but this time heading for Kurama. He slid his cutlass off his arm like a glove and threw it with incredible force in his direction. He wasn't down for as long as Kurama anticipated which thwarted his plans. It seemed that he would have to get rid of them at the same time for this to work out.

Kurama ducked beneath the sharp ice made sword. It stabbed into a tree behind him.

"_They are both using projectiles, let's cause a crossfire."_ instructed Kurama telepathically.

Hiei swiped at Jin. "_Hn."_ was his response but Kurama understood what it meant.

Touya created an army of icicles behind him, shooting them out like a machine gun at Kurama.

Kurama ran with icicles piercing the dust trail behind his heel. He ran and jumped to dodge the sharp ice blades that Touya launched at him while Hiei tried to lure Jin in the sight of Touya's reticle.

Jin sent a decent sized tornado in Touya's direction. Touya smiled and shot his icicles within the tornado. The icicles spun within the tornado then sped out with even more force than Touya was throwing them with initially.

Hiei and Kurama made the appropriate evasive maneuvers to dodge the attacks. The icicles were sent out with so much force that they jutted out far out pass the fields.

An icicle pierced right beside her hand that was resting nicely in the grass. Her eyes bulged and she swallowed a large lump in her throat. She stared at the icicle and the way the grass warped behind it's transparent body. The icicle slowly started to transform from a beautiful crystal clear glass to a foggy gray then deep black red. It made her stomach churn and she could smell blood. She stood up and covered her mouth, feeling as if she is going to vomit. She started to walk towards Genkai's small house to find a restroom. Her breaths becoming short and the ground beneath her changing into the floor of her past.

Kurama furrowed his brow at their carelessness. "Careful, we are in the Human Realm. There can still be casualties if we aren't mindful of our actions" he warned, slashing a few extra icicles out of the air to ensure that they don't escape into the public.

Jin scoffed then slammed his tornado covered fist into the ground, missing Kurama's head by the ends of his toes.

Kurama jumped back a little surprised at the ferocity that the two were bringing. Not even Hiei was acting this arrogant.

Hiei recognized the twist in Kurama's face and caught on to his concern quite quickly.

"Enough." he said, making a quick advancement towards Touya.

Touya shot a series of arrow icicles in Hiei's direction. He simply broke them out of his way with his sword, the ice shattering against the steel. The pieces broke off like diamonds that shimmered in the light. Hiei sheathed his sword and engaged in hand to hand combat with Touya. Fists went flying around Touya's head. He easily dodged his fast hands but wasn't expecting for a hard headbutt from the small fire demon. Hiei rammed his forehead straight into Touya's nose.

Touya retaliated with a nice uppercut to Hiei's jaw which popped him up in the air slightly.

Jin made another attempt to slam Kurama in the head. Once his fist drilled into the ground, instead of jumping back to avoid the attack, Kurama pulled forward and grabbed Jin's shoulder. His own forearm getting slightly damaged from the graze against the tornado surrounding Jin's hands and wrists.

"Aye?!"

Kurama squeezed his shoulder and Jin screamed out, ripping himself from Kurama's grasp. He then smiled and spun quickly in place, creating another tornado. He jumped out of the spinning wind and sent it towards Kurama.

Hiei recovered quickly, planting a rough punch on Touya's stoic face. Touya clenched his jaw and summoned another series of icicles. Hiei jumped out of the close proximity and met Kurama's back.

Kurama nodded his head and they dodged both attacks simultaneously, allowing for the icicles to collide with the tornado. They entered through one end and out the other, the tornado still plowing it's way to Touya and now icicles shooting for Jin.

Jin was laughing at the massive tornado he created but stopped when he noticed the icicles inches away from his face. He barely dodged the mass of them but one stabbed him in the foot.

"Aye! Oh God!" he screamed at the painful pinch of the icicles piercing into his foot.

Touya couldn't dodge the tornado in time and ended up spinning inside of the dust then getting regurgitated out into the air. He landed painfully in a nearby tree, disheveled and unwillingly aware of the ribs that he probably broke.

* * *

"That was awesome!" shouted Yusuke, punching the air in the heat of his excitement. "C'mon Jin, recover quickly so I can get a whack at ya!" he said.

Jin rubbed his foot that was now wrapped in red and white bandages. He laughed. "If fightin' cripples makes'ya feel like a man!" he joked.

"This was a waste of my time." snapped Hiei, crossing his arms defiantly. "I fought lower class demons in the Makai that put up more of a fight than that."

Touya shot a glare in Hiei's direction "Well, we will see how tough you really are in the Tournament then."

"Why wait, if you wish to die that badly we can arrange that right now."

Touya lifted from the tree that he was leaning against by Kuwabara suddenly stood between them.

"Hey now chill out, we're all friends." he had a goofy smile on his face.

"Hn, no one's your friend, monkey."

Kuwabara's eyes sharpened. "Monkey?! Who are you calling monkey you little shrimp?!"

"Isn't that your name? Monkey, I think it's befitting for the likes of you. Perhaps orangutan to compliment that orange fuzz for hair."

Touya turned his head to hide his laughter which only heightened Kuwabara's anger.

"Why you-!"

Kurama smiled to himself. He always enjoyed their bickering, it's what made them a family, even if Hiei wanted to deny it.

"Oh, are you going to ask her?" Kurama could hear Yusuke suddenly saying. His ears cued into their conversation.

"Ya' I have'ta cash in ta pizza fliers with her. She's a cute lass. She's not'a human, right?" Jin picked the inside of his ear.

Yusuke shook his head. "That girl and her pizza."

"Unfortunately, Ai has plans." added Kurama from his side of the camp.

Jin flicked out a ball of ear wax with a brow raised in his direction, not convinced. "Oh~yeah huh? Maybe she might want'a change her plans after I invite her out tho~"

Kurama chuckled and Jin frowned. "It's not likely. Understand, those plans involve me."

Yusuke looked from Jin to Kurama, "Hey.. guys.."

Jin snorted "The lass will definitely want'a grab a bite of pizza with _me_ if thats'ta case!"

"I'm afraid not."

"You guys.."

"Why dont'a we ask the wee lady then!?" shouted a heated Jin.

"Ah, you are capable of logical thinking after all." shot Kurama.

Jin gasped

"You guys!" Yusuke shouted so loudly that not only did he get the two red headed men's attention but that of Kuwabara and Hiei's as well.

"Where is Ai anyway?"

Jin and Kurama looked at each other, their eyes squinting with suspicion. In a matter of short seconds Kurama was racing to Genkai's shrine. It took a while for Jin to process what just happened but then followed after him.

"Did I miss something?" asked a dumbfounded Kuwabara. He scratched the back of his head.

* * *

The darkness surrounded Ai, she could feel her feet slapping against the coldness of the forest floor. She didn't know where she was running to but that woman was after her and her heart was filled with fear. With aching legs she entered a foggier area of the forest where white tags hung against the trees. She recognized them as ghost wards but she pressed on, her life in danger.

Ai could hear the woman close behind her now but no matter how hard she tried to run faster or how much energy she felt she had she knew that she was dreaming and couldn't control it. She kicked her legs faster but she was slowing down, her stamina deteriorating.

In a quick flash, she was on the floor, tripping over a fungus infested log. She turned around to look behind her and watched the blade lift above her head. The woman was closer than she had thought.

Ai turned to crawl away but the blade jammed into her back.

Ai could feel the pain pierce her nerves. It sent excruciating waves throughout her body.

With each stab the woman gave to her back a loud thumping noise pumped in her ears. It was unusual and out of place. She could hear her name being called with the thumping. It was Kurama.

Ai jolted awake as soon as the bathroom door swung open and Kurama burst through the opening. His face was pale and his hair was no longer red. For a small moment, his green eyes were replaced with an abnormal bright golden yellow and his red hair was silver like the clouds in her dream.

"Kurama?" she asked, a little puzzled thinking that her dreams were merging with her reality.

He rushed over to her side, leaning into the tub and examining her for any injuries.

"Are you alright?" He grabbed her head and made her tilt it from side to side so that he could get a good look at her. "Did you...Why are you in here?" his physical features returned to their normal colors.

She looked down at herself and realized where she was. Her small body fit inside the tub and was laying within the white container. She was in Genkai's restroom.

She blushed and shook her head. "I'm fine. I just-"

"You didn't respond when I knocked."

"I was tired. I just needed a break." she smiled at him but his face still showed a lot of concern.

Jin soon walked in with a curious look on his face. "I don't know what kinda' girl naps ina' tub but I like it." he grinned.

* * *

Kurama was so scared that she disappeared right then and there. The amount of stress that he went through in the small moments of searching for her caused him to temporarily transform, which was more than an unpleasant experience for him. The last time he could remember this happening was when he underwent an enormous amount of emotional distress at the death of Yusuke. It was something that he never wanted to experience again, even if he was able to become Youko Kurama again.

This created a small dilemma within him. He was loving Ai till it hurt. It was like a paradox. She was a paradox. He was loving her til it hurt but he continued to do it anyway believing that there will be no more pain in the end, just more love. The antinomy made no sense but at the same time was reasonable to him.

There was a light within him that whispered ideas and beliefs that could save Ai. He didn't know if they were true or not but if he loved her pass the point of pain and pass the point of any doubt then maybe he could still have her, even after her second death. Maybe she wont have to leave him and they could live happily ever after, like in the stories he reads to her.

Love was a fire and it was burning his hands. This feeling, like said before, is so foreign to him that his lack of control over it was causing him to go slightly mad. It's an untamed force and every time he tried to understand it he only emerged lost and confused within the heavy smoke it created. Along with his love for her, other emotions were erupting. The fear that he felt when she wouldn't answer the door, the frightened look in his eyes as he stared at the white of the door. It was inconceivable, the emotions that she evoked out of him.

Kurama pressed his forehead against hers and breathed out slowly. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms then his cheek against hers. His hands traveled to her back and felt around her shoulder blades where his fingers traced a scar. It was a peculiar thing. He's seen a majority of her back before, including this particular spot on her back and was pretty positive that the marking wasn't there before. It was only discovered shortly after her episode in the bathroom at Genkai's shrine. When he asked her about it she claimed that it's always been there but he knew otherwise. He kept the comment to himself but he believed that it was manifesting from her memories, that as her mind was recalling the events her body, as an apparition, was remembering as well. He could only imagine how painful it is for her to remember the event every night she dreamed. It must be like dying her death all over again every single time.

He inhaled her perfume, the light scent filling his senses. He wanted to shudder and crush her in his hands, to mold her into something even smaller so that he could always carry her around with him. Small enough for him to hide her but big enough for him to know that she was always there.

The fright that she gave him after his spar made him never want to let her go. He merely looked away for a minute and she was gone, it startled him, it scared him. The realization that she could actually be gone and that he will be alone again was so discomforting that his throat tightened at the thought.

He hissed, sucking air in painfully through his teeth and tried to fight and control the fear. He opened his eyes and looked into her sweet brown ones. They showed concern and worry for him and it pained him even more. It was hurting her to see him so upset but he couldn't help himself.

Kurama pressed his lips hard against her forehead. Perhaps if he kissed hard enough she will just freeze in time and stop remembering her past life.

He reeled back, willing himself away. All he wanted to do was hold her and squeeze her and never leave her, but he was determined to find more information. If there was a way to repress her memory, he would find it.

* * *

"This is..." Maya slowly unwrapped the contents in the bloody robes and gasped at the sight of the thin ivory bones within. She almost dropped the bag.

"Careful woman!" shouted Zhanshi with an angry fist.

"Zhanshi!" Master Jang raised his voice to the young bald man who immediately remembered his place. "Your spiritual perception allows you to see the truth about her." He nodded his head slowly as he spoke. "The reason why her aura is faded and gone is because she does not exist. She is a ghost, slaved to a demon but somehow managed to break free. We are here to properly exercise the girl, so that she may reincarnate"

Maya took in a deep breath. "And what does that have to do with me?" she took a step away from the bones, a little spooked by the whole ordeal.

"She must come to remember her memories on her own but she will need her remains for the final push. It seems that there is a man keeping her quite close to him."

"Shuichi.."

Master Jang nodded. "He will not welcome us with open arms. We understand that you care for this man?"

She shook her head recalling their last events together. "He can't love me when she is around.."

"Exactly.." Master Jang nodded his head

Zhanshi looked at him with surprised eyes. It was the first time he's ever seen him condone something like this.

"She is responsible for the death of many men, she may only want to eat his soul."

Maya gasped

"Master... I don't-"

Jang raised a hand to silence his apprentice. "Deliver the remains to her, induce the final push for her to remember then she will be gone from your lives."

Maya grabbed the remains hesitantly "...forever?"

"Forever."

Maya stuffed them into her purse then gave them one final guilty look before leaving the alley.

"Master Jang, permission to speak..."

"Yes, Zhanshi?"

"Master, she believes that the man will love her if Ai is gone.. I've observed them and I don't think-"

"It matters not. " he said roughly. Zhanshi stuttered.

"I've dedicated my life to exorcising spirits from this world. Maya's motives matter not. She is only our delivery vessel. Once Ai sees her remains, she will remember everything and she will reincarnate and we will be on to our next difficult exorcism. I've been after Ai for more years than I can remember. She's taken more lives than years you have on your family tree, did you forget? She is not a sweet and innocent young woman as everyone believes her to be. She is breathing through corrupted lungs and she will destroy everything she comes in contact with. It is a shame if the demon actually cares for her."

Zhanshi nodded his head. "I'm sorry master, I was momentarily deceived."

Master Jang stroked his beard.

* * *

**An Ai and Kurama short.**

"Ta! C'mon 'Tis just a wee bit of'an adventure! Open yer eyes and see the sun Ai! The sky is'a calling yer name!"

Kurama rolled his eyes but kept his hands calmly folded on the table.

Ai demolished another slice of pizza her cheeks chipmunk-ing the food to one side so that she could fit more of it in her mouth. She smiled at his persistence but continued to shake her head.

"I'll show yew all the beautiful lil stars too!"

She swallowed. "Kurama already showed me the stars."

Jin made an exhausted face. He didn't even know why he bothered. The fox had her wrapped around his sneaky little finger and it made Jin so jealous. Ai was so much fun to be around but she was such a stick in the mud when he was around. She only wanted to be around him all the time.

Jin took a bite out of his pizza then a light went on in his head. He examined the pizza box then grabbed the piece of paper attached to the interior of the box. He waved it in the air.

"Look! Another flier, three more n we get more pizzas!"

Ai's face lit up and Kurama squinted his eyes. Jin wasn't playing fair.

"Shall we hunt for more o'these?"

Ai clapped her hands happily. "Yes! Of course! Will you join us Kurama?" she asked, turning to him with big eyes.

Kurama glanced over to Jin who was making a taunting face in his direction. Ai couldn't see his expression from where she sat.

Kurama fake coughed then held his chest. "Actually, I feel a lot of discomfort... I'm afraid the bead.." he coughed again "is misbehaving again."

Ai dropped her pizza slice and immediately sat closer to Kurama. She slid her hand beneath his shirt and felt his chest, listening closely at the same time.

Jin's face went red and Kurama tried to suppress his creeping smile.

Kurama sucked in air through his teeth and imitated a pained expression with his hand lingering over hers. He directed her to different locations on his chest. "More to the right... Ah~ lower."

Ai turned to Jin, her face riddled with genuine concern. "I'm sorry Jin, can we go another time?"

Jin slammed his hand on the table in defeat. It startled Ai who leaned even closer to Kurama.

"Ya' I'll hold'ta to that lassy." He got up and pattered his way out of the pizza shop, his face still red from the neck up.

Ai looked to Kurama a little confused then removed her hand. "Kurama, it feels fine."

He raised his arms above his head and openly stretched then rested one behind her neck and the other across her lap. He laughed a little then nodded his head. "It does."

She blushed and twisted her lips to the side. "You're naughty."


	18. Goodbye, Ai

"Hey Kurama!" shouted Yusuke, approaching Kurama's small apartment patio

Kuama and Ai were blowing bubbles through plastic wands into the evening sky when Yusuke showed up. He had his hands jammed into his pockets and his hair wasn't slicked back with gel. His hair looked longer without the product smoothing it behind his head. A few bubbles still lingered in the air, swarming around them until they popped into small fireworks of liquid soap.

"I didn't want to start without ya, Kurama. Aren't you joining us for practice today?"

Kurama looked to Ai then back to Yusuke. "I apologize, I don't-"

"Of course, lovely. We'll go, right Kurama?"

Kurama smiled, defeated and nodded his head. "Yes."

"Alright, then let's go. That monkey isn't good at waiting and neither is Jin." he motioned with his head and turned around to leave but almost bumped into a man carrying a box. "Woah." he raised his brows then stepped out of the way.

The man pushed up his sun glasses and placed the box at their feet. "Delivery for Shuichi Minamino from Maya Kitajima." The man looked at his wristwatch then bowed his head before dismissing himself.

Ai tapped her fingers on the box excitedly, "Oh! Can I open it?"

"We don't have time, just bring the box with you." whined Yusuke, dragging a hand down his face.

She twisted her lips to the side then looked at Kurama with hopeful eyes. He smiled back at her, not wanting to disappoint.

"I suppose there is no harm in that."

Yusuke lifted up the seemingly weightless box. "Then let's go"

* * *

Kurama sat beside Ai with the box acting as a divider between the two. She was eager to open the box but he insisted that she wait till later. He wasn't too excited, knowing who sent the box, it was probably something strange to try and make him sympathize with her. As if that would win her his heart.

Yusuke and Jin are formidable opponents and the time it took for them to spar was extensive. It's already been a half hour into the battle and neither of them was willing to back down. The fight was exciting and often surprising but Ai couldn't help but feel sleepy.

She rested her head against Kurama's shoulder and closed her eyes.

Kurama spent many of his nights researching ways to cure Ai but came up with nothing; only more evidence that supported the strange bald man's warning. There was no magic spell, ancient artifact, or even spiritual healing remedies that could further repress her memories from emerging to the surface. The only thing that he could do was to spend ever waking moment with her and although he tried to make them as enjoyable as possible, the world was working against them.

He took her to the pier again so that she could ride on the Ferris-Wheel again, but it was down due to maintenance; She wished to visit Juri but she is out of town for the next two weekends and there were no fall festivals or concerts until after today. The morning was a failure which lead them to blowing bubbles on his porch, but Ai didn't mind and now she was resting her head on his shoulder. It all turned out okay in the end.

"Ai." he shook his shoulder and made her head wobble a little. One of the side effects that he realized she was suffering from was extreme drowsiness. She slept more than usual. He tried to prevent it from happening as much as he could but she began to take naps in the evening more regularly and still feel torpid enough to sleep through a full night.

His throat tightened in a fit of panic when she didn't respond. He gave her arm a light shake and said her name again much louder this time.

She wearily opened her eyes and looked up at him, her head bobbing slightly.

He grabbed her head and pressed his forehead against hers, his eyes searching deeply into hers as he spoke. "I'm sorry, please bare with it a little longer." He could see the exhaustion in her eyes, she was ready to leave him for a dangerous dream land and it hurt him knowing that any one of her dreams could be the one. It scared him.

"Do you need a glass of water?"

She nodded her head lethargically.

"Wait for me, Ai."

Kurama stood up and made his way to Genkai's small shrine to fulfill her small request. If it took a small glass of water to keep her awake, he didn't mind making the small walk to service her.

It was difficult for Ai to keep her eyes open but she was some how managing. She fingered the tape that held the box shut. Her fingernails picked away at the ends of the sticky plastic then eventually pulled it back so that the flaps of the box popped up. Her hands seemed to be acting on a will of their own as she reached in the box and felt around the small foamy balls. Her hands reached even further down the fluff and latched onto a pile of cloth. Her eyebrows perked up with interest as she pulled the contents out of the box and placed the raggedy thing on her lap.

Kurama filled the small transparent glass with water, and took a sip out of the cup himself then turned the sink back on to refill it. He could see Ai from the kitchen window. He shook his head and smiled to himself once he realized that she was opening the box. She simply couldn't resist huh?

Kurama nearly dropped the glass into the sink when her bead thumped hard in his chest. With words unspoken, Kurama immediately knew what was happening. His instinct and the sudden thumping in his chest told him everything he needed to know to understand what was happening.

Ai unwrapped the disgusting looking cloth and stared down at her own remains, sitting in her lap over the bloody robes she wore when she died. Her face flushed and the memories overflowed in fast chronological series.

The memories didn't come in visions or images and they didn't play like a movie on a screen, she just suddenly knew what happened as if she knew all along. She remembered that she was sold by her father to pay off his debts to the man he owed. The man made her his mistress but his wife didn't take too kindly to being made second best to a much younger and beautiful woman.

The dual doors slid open and the woman glared down at Ai, her nose tilted up and her eyes tightly pulled back with resentment.

"You are destroying my son's future." she spat through grinding teeth.

"No, your husband is." said Ai, challenging the woman with her bold eyes.

The woman's face twisted with venom and she raised the blade high above her head and slashed it down at Ai but she swiftly dodged the attack,

Ai breathed heavily and stared bewildered at the woman before quickly getting to her feet and taking off into the night with her assailant close behind. She breathed red air into her lungs, her throat tightening and becoming scratchy at the sides. There was so much fog in the air that she could barely see where she was going, all she knew was that if she stopped she would die and she wasn't ready to go. There was so much that she wanted to do, so much that she wanted to see.

Her feet slapped against the cold of the forest floor, thorns and rocks stabbing into her skin. She could hear the woman's animosity getting closer and it frightened her.

Ai stepped too quickly and tripped over a moss infested log, her chin smacking against a rock on the ground. She hissed out in pain and raised herself to continue running but was pushed back to the ground with a sudden sharp pain in her back.

The air left her lungs in a cold cloud around her mouth. Her face cringed with pain as she was forced to flip around on her back.

Ai stared up into the woman's face that reflected off of her bloodied knife.

"You wont have our future.." she said knotting her robes around her thighs and straddling Ai's lithe body.

Ai could feel warm water slide down her cheeks and drop into her hair that sprawled out around her head like webs reaching out for a chance at survival. She gazed up at the woman helplessly, her brown eyes unforgiving.

"Xiao.."

The woman raised the knife again, ready for another taste, and jammed it down into her chest.

Red gushed out of her again, sliding down with gravity against Ai's skin and creating puddles in the crevice of her throat. She gasped, the blood spurting from her mouth and onto Xiao's face.

Xiao didn't blink, instead she raised the blade again and stabbed Ai a multitude of times more, her hands grasping the hilt of the blade tightly as she mangled the young girl.

Ai's body jerked and twitched against the blue floor, creating organic shapes and smears with her blood against the stone of the forest. With each metallic removal, her chest lifted with the blade and with every gushing gash her body made a sick hollow crunch.

Xiao stared down at Ai's dead body; her white robes, now stained with blood that looked black from the amount of saturation, covered her mutilated body that was still squeezing blood from it's cut arteries. And even after all of that, Ai was still more young and more beautiful than she would ever be.

She grabbed her bloody ankles and dragged her up a hill, leaves and twigs tangling in her dark locks. She dragged her body pass the ghost wards, and passed the small Buddah shrines mounted for weary travelers, and tossed her body down a gritty, moss and insect infested ditch.

She watched her limp body roughly roll down, her dress spiraling around her like a blanket and drop at the bottom of the landfill where a Lychee tree was oddly growing.

Kurama shook Ai's shoulders over and over again until he could see the light return to her eyes and eventually it did, but it wasn't the same light that Kurama recognized and at that moment he could feel his chin begin to tremble. It was over.

Ai could see clearly into Kurama's that expressed a longing that broke her heart. It hurt her to see him but hurt just as much if she couldn't, regardless she smiled.

Kurama grabbed her hand in his. It was slowly fading into a transparent glass that was spreading up her arms.

Ai immediately covered his eyes with her hand. "Don't look!" she said desperately trying to control the sobs that were clouding in her throat. "I don't want you to see me like this.." she said, the sobs breaking through as she spoke.

Kurama breathed out. "Ai.."

"Were you worried?"

"Worried?"

"When you first met me, did I worry you?"

Kurama took in a deep breath. "Admittedly, at first.. I was concerned, but right now" he squeezed her hand tighter "I'm a thousand times more concerned."

"It's all just a dream." she said, her bottom lip trembling with fear. "Just pretend it's all a lovely dream so when you open your eyes, it wont hurt." she felt like she couldn't breath.

Kurama respected her final wish and allowed her to hold her hand over his eyes but he wasn't going to let her leave without a fight. He slowly leaned forward and embraced her into his arms. He compressed her between his arms and tried to crush her within him. If he squeezed with just the right amount of pressure maybe she will just fade into him and this will all just end. Maybe she will just take her hands off of his eyes and smile at him like she always does until he guesses the right name.

Tears were threatening to trickle out but he held them back with tight lids.

He could feel her body becoming warm within his arms but he fought the urge to look past her hand. The small bells around her ankle were crackling like jumping embers of fire in his ears. He remembered the first time he heard those bells, she was saving his life.

He couldn't believe it, this was a mistake. She said that she would remain by his side; why was she leaving; why didn't she tell him; why is this happening?

He wanted to ask her all of these things but his throat choked up and words foolishly spilled out. "Don't leave me."

Ai leaned forward and tilted her head and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

He pressed for more, catching her lips with his again before she could pull away. "When you pass a man" he broke the sentence between their kiss. "and your heart begins to beat and tears well up in your eyes" he rested his forehead against hers, "please recognize me." he whispered, kissing her again.

"I will, I love you, Kurama." she said calmly

"I love you, Ai" Kurama squeezed but his arms suddenly collapsed over himself. He opened his eyes and watched in horror as bright blue orbs replaced her and where slowly lifting into the air. He stood up and reached for them, dropping the clothing she left behind.

"Don't leave..." he whispered as he grasped at the air futilely.

The blue orbs mingled like the bubbles they blew earlier and were slowly fading into the orange and red sky.

Kurama's chest hurt, it ached and burned all at the same time. He tried hard to hold back his tears, to keep them balled up in his fists that were clenched tightly at his side and seal it shut with a hit to a near tree.

He wanted to go away with her. She was gone and there was nothing that he could do but grasp onto his shoulders tightly, to imagine she was still there in his arms again. Love was such a horrible thing. It makes you vulnerable, it rips you open and exposes all of you. And because you're in love, you allow that one special person to poke and prod around inside, let them aspire to be your love doctor. They get deep down inside of you and destroy you from the inside out. They rearrange the chemistry in your mind and for some reason, for some odd reason it's like they flip a switch that stops making you see the world clearly. Everything you do, everything you think is for and about them and your world is flipped upside down. You experience and feel things you never knew existed and they expect you to cope with it and you do because you're in love.

But as strenuous and painful as love can be it's just as rewarding, the only problem is whether you can see it or not and right now Kurama couldn't. All he could see was the end of his life. He couldn't even allow himself to cry for her.

Kurama picked up what little she left behind, her dress, her shoes, and his shirt and began to walk home, his body numb. He gave her his heart, and now that she was gone, how was he supposed to live with an empty hole in his chest?

"Woah.. Hey Ah. . . Kurama.."

Hiei raised a hand to silence the human and shot a menacing glare at the group of witnesses.

They watched in silence as he quietly walked off, their hearts hurting behind him.

* * *

**An Ai and Kurama short**

Ai grabbed the watering can and slowly showered the flowers. A majority of them were withering away from being seasonal creatures but still the life that they gave to the green and blue creation was still growing strong. There was something unnatural about it but she let the thought fly over her head. It was something that she and Kurama created together, it was big, it was blue, it was a little strange, but it was beautiful.

She imagined that this is what the color blue would smell like if they had natural odors. It was so cool, like the way wind gently nips at your cheeks and nose.

Ai leaned forward to inhale the soft aroma. Once she opened her eyes she was still in a world of darkness but a warm darkness.

"A ghost from my past?" she said through a fit of giggles.

"Not quite. Try again."

"Hmm, it must be my lover then?"

Kurama tilted her head back and forced her to look up into the darkness of his hands. He slowly unveiled himself with the parting of his hands and bent down to kiss her without any hesitation. His lips pressed softly against hers and she could feel the touch of his lips wash over her like a pool of water.

They remained like that for a while, simply with their lips touching, uninterested in exploring further and content with the simplicity of their kiss. He pressed his lips harder against hers and she blushed. He's never kissed her this long before.

She slowly, and almost regretfully, pulled away from him to straighten her neck.

"It's so lovely, isn't it?" she said, directing his gaze to the hydrangea flowers that jutted out from the green bush.

He nodded his head in agreement then gently plucked a bundle off of the bush and tucked the flowers behind her ear with strands of her hair tangling with the stem.

Ai smiled big, her eyes wrinkling at the corners and her cheeks pinching up high. He could never forget that smile.

"Thank you, this makes me so happy." she laughed a little.

He returned her smile then raised a finger thoughtfully,

"_Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own _– Robert A Heinlein".

She blushed and he kissed her reddening cheeks.


	19. A Kurama Short The End of a new Start

_A Kurama Short. _**The End.**

* * *

Kurama slowly approached the steps to his apartment, his chest aching into his throat but he suppressed it down like an infectious cold.. He noted the open plastic container of bubbles as he unlocked his door. Only a few moments ago he was sitting there with her, blowing happiness away into the sky. What a waste, he thought as he entered his apartment.

The door opened in slow motion his eyes trained on the sofa, expecting to see her sitting there, twisting her hair or tucking it behind her ear then turning around at the sound of him entering and smiling at him Smiling so brightly. Then she would say it was all a joke, a mean and cruel joke just to be a terrible person, just for shits and giggles. But no, no one was there. His television was off, there was no scuffing around, the sofa was empty.

He took a seat on the sofa, and stared down at the floor where he's spent many nights with her; simply laying with their backs against the carpet, the side of their heads touching and her hands resting on his open ones. Dark bags were beneath each of their eyes, sleep being their solution but fighting it was their drug. Their heads were filled with hazy and weary attractions for one another.

"You're the most beautiful person, I've ever seen." he whispered to her, his hand scratching at the back of hers.

"You're the most beautiful person alive." she replied with a small smile. The floor felt as if it was turning beneath them, sending them down through a spiral of stairs through a smooth and relaxing wave. Their eyes were burning holes into the ceiling.

Kurama laid on his side and turned away from the carpet, staring into the fabric of his furniture. He couldn't bare to look any longer, it only caused the swelling in his throat to thicken. He should have said that he loved her then, or any other time, maybe even every single day, maybe that would have helped her stay. He closed his eyes. She was gone but he continued to see pieces of her in his life. She was fulfilling her purpose as a ghost but she was haunting him more without her presence. He wished her fingers would linger over him comfortingly again.

He only ever wanted her but now there was such a burn and a longing for her that he couldn't function properly. If only he had gone away with her, leave all of his troubles here and float up with her like bubbles into the sky. He grasped tightly onto her dress and held it close to his chest, gasping for air to hold back the incessant choke hold that the hurt in his heart had around his neck.

Her taste was still warm in his mouth and the thought only pushed him closer to denial. It was inconceivable, she no longer existed and yet he could taste the sweetness of her mouth at the tip of his tongue. It was sunny and delicious, like picking peaches out of his mother's garden. It held warmth and body.

* * *

Kurama never addressed the situation about Ai to anyone other than Yusuke and Hiei who he confined in with confidence but even then he didn't disclose everything about the way he felt. They knew that he wasn't alright, but the return of his pleasant and calm demeanor left them with empty questions. He fought along side Team Urameshi, as planned, for the second Makai Tournament and carried on with his life as normally as possible. They fought and won, naturally. Jin was one of his opponents which left both sides of the teams standing in an awkward air of thick tension that no one could quite explain. Even for Jin, little conversation was exchanged between the two of them. It was one of the rougher battles that he had, he almost wished that it wasn't Jin, who he knew would spare his life out of their strong code of honor. Regardless, Kurama emerged victorious and spared Jin to save their friendship, even if the crowd disapproved of the fox's generous decision. Naturally, Team Urameshi were the victors of the whole Tournament. Many of the fighters dropped out and they won out of penalty because of Yusuke's growing reputation but a win is a win and they celebrated it.

He attended Yusuke and Keiko's wedding, supported Kokoda through college and even stayed long enough in the Human Realm to watch him fall in love and marry a lovely lady. Shiori was happy but concerned for her quiet red headed son. Kokoda was quickly stepping up and making significant changes in his life, becoming more and more independent from Shiori and Kurama which made his heart lift from many of the invisible weights of the human world. This life style was sickening to him, and living it alone only made it worse. Many times he thought to himself, how different it would be if she was with him, how painless it would feel and how lovely it would be to show her to Makai.

The rusting bell above the store rung open but Kurama didn't bother to look up from his book, he knew who it would be. He has been speaking with the woman on the phone about the hydrangea flowers. She was relentlessly trying to buy them from him but he continued to direct her to other florists in the area.

"Mr. Minamino"

He flipped a page.

The woman cleared her throat and her eyes tightened at his rude behavior. "I obviously can't convince you over the phone, so I have graced you with my body in person. You do know who I am, don't you?"

He dabbed his finger against his tongue and glanced up at the woman with indifference. He noticed a second person in the store, the woman's accomplice no doubt exploring the store. His eyes reverted back to the older woman's face which was artificially tightened. "Yes, I am aware of who you are."

The woman tilted her head up even higher, "So then you are also aware of the great fortune that my husband holds as the owner of the Shinhwa company. Allow me to make you _another _offer."

He slightly rolled his eyes then closed his book. "Oh, dear. And how much is it this time? One hundred grand?"

"If that will sell the flowers to me, then yes." She began to search in her giant black purse.

"Listen, I'm flattered that you researched my shop and discovered the flowers that you desired but, as I have said before, they are not for sale."

The woman slammed her hand on his counter and began to yell. "What a rude and!" She began to sputter words in Korean with heated hands flying in the air. The girl in the back came running to the front to calm her mother. She grabbed her mothers arms and forced them to calmly relax by her sides. She turned to Kurama, her big brown eyes freezing time as they landed on his face.

His chest thumped with Ai's bead and he nearly coughed it up at the sight of her face. His heart sank the moment he saw her, it was her, it was Ai. Everything about her was the same. Her big round eyes and pink lips over a smooth pallet of olive skin. Her nose, the eyebrows, ears, everything belonged to Ai.

"I'm sorry, please excuse us. The flowers were just so lovely and I wanted them at my birthday party but we'll leave. Thank you-"

"Wait!" he said, stopping the women from leaving. "Excuse me, I'll be right back." He had no excuses to keep them there but he pattered his way to the green house, holding his chest.

As soon as he was safely hidden behind the walls of his green world, he fell to his trembling knees. He let out a deep breath and collected himself once again.

He stood up and peeked over a small window that leaked the other side in.

He almost couldn't believe his eyes, after twenty long years, she was standing before him looking the same as if she never left, as if time froze around her; just as they wished.

He smiled watching her get scolded by her mother, it seemed that she was in a similar predicament that she was the first day he met her.

It was strange, he knew everything about her but she didn't even know his name. He knew that her favorite food was pizza, that she liked ice cream just as much, she was obsessed with lights, taking pictures, and her sweet disposition came naturally. He also knew however, how her skin felt and how her lips tasted, how she loved for her hair to be touched before she sleeps, and that red looks fantastic against her even skin.

"Well you don't have to be-"

"I apologize." Kurama said, emerging from the green room with his hands coolly in his pockets.

"Well, we're leaving, Ae-da, let's go!" She grabbed her arm forcefully and began to pull her out of the store.

She ripped her arm from her mothers grasp. "Just, wait for me in the car." she said almost in a mumble.

The woman gaped her mouth open and her eyes popped out with surprise. "Wait till we get back home, your father will not approve of this." she turned, giving Kurama a final warning glance before stomping out of the store with her clanking heels.

"I'm so sorry." she said with a small nervous smile, trying to make sense of the situation. "She goes on such a power trip. Anyway, I was looking around and I really like the collection of roses you have. If I can't have an order of the blue hydrangea flowers, I would like your roses. They are the best I've ever seen since coming to Japan."

Her smile was more genuine now as she looked up at him.

"About that.." He removed a hand from his pocket and gently placed a bundle of the hydrangea flowers in her hair, tucking it behind her ear. "Since it's for your birthday, I'm willing to provide a few of them, free of charge."

"Oh!" she laughed a little then felt warm tears sting her eyes. She hesitantly brought her hand up and dabbed the side of her cheek, surprised to see her fingers wet. She took a step away from the counter and rubbed the tears away with the back of her hand and laughed awkwardly. "I'm sorry, I don't know – I don't know why I'm crying. It's probably the pollen in the air?" She looked up at him with swelling brown eyes and a small smile.

Kurama's heart fluttered for the first time in twenty years, as if the smile on her face was an electric shock to his lifeless soul, jump starting it back up by pulling at his heart strings like a revving engine. Ai was in there, he could see her, it was her. Even her voice was the same and all he had to do was capture her all over again, recreate their memories, and relive old ones.

Maybe it's all just a torturous game that is meant to mock him, meant to give him a second chance just to tear him down in the end. But he didn't care, he would do anything for her even if it meant repeating the cycle all over again, just to spend more time with her and have another chance at loving her once more.

Ae-da pulled out a small envelope from her messenger bag then wrote her phone number on the white envelope with a free pen he had rolling on the counter. She slid it over to him.

She was up to date with modern world now.

"Call me so that we can make the arrangements, and that's an invitation to my birthday party. I hope that you will come, for some reason I feel like we'll be really compatible friends!" she grinned

"I'm sure we will." he smiled back at her. She went to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear but was thwarted by the cluster of flowers. She hunched her shoulders embarrassed then waved to him, a small purple bracelet with a single bell on it ringing with the gesture before exiting his store.

He could hear her yelling outside of his store. "Don't be so uptight, I'm on my way!"

Kurama unlocked his phone then entered her number in the memory of the device.

**Name**:

Ae-da

The glow from his phone lit up his smile.


End file.
